How Washington, D.C. is run
Who runs Washington, D.C., what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Washington, D.C.'s own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Washington, D.C.
The elected mayor heads the city government and appoints its top administrator and department heads. The council passes laws, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
Washington, D.C. city staff
35,483 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public education 13,563, Public safety and justice 9,980. FY2025. Budgeted full-time equivalent employees, general operating funds. Government of the District of Columbia · Jan 23, 2026
DC Human Resources posts employee pay (Public Body Employee Information, updated quarterly) in a search tool. The Council publishes its members' and staff salaries in Schedule A. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Washington, D.C. in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
The city's own outlook
The CFO found the FY2027 to FY2030 financial plan funded, but said the budget as passed depends on a $150 million draw from the Fiscal Stabilization Reserve, which the District needs for cash flow. The first $150 million of any FY2026 revenue increase found in the September or December 2026 forecasts goes to refill reserves. DC Office of the Chief Financial Officer · Jul 7, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $0 (2025-09-30). That means every dollar the general fund has saved is set aside in a named reserve or category, not that it has no savings. The city's own target: Congress requires a 4% contingency cash reserve and a 2% emergency cash reserve. Council law adds a fiscal stabilization reserve (2.34% of general fund operating spending) and a cash flow reserve (10% of the general fund operating budget). On Sept. 30, 2025 these held $427.8M, $213.9M, $305.4M and $1.29B. The District books them as restricted or committed, so the general fund shows no unassigned balance. Government of the District of Columbia · Jan 23, 2026
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026-27.
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public education (DC Public Schools, charter schools, UDC and others)$3.95B · 29%
- Human support services (health, Medicaid, human services)$2.87B · 21%
- Financing and other (debt service, pay-as-you-go capital and other)$2.05B · 15%
- Public safety and justice$1.74B · 13%
- Operations and infrastructure (public works, transportation and others)$1.48B · 11%
- Governmental direction and support$1.22B · 9%
- Economic development and regulation$466M · 3%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Washington has no separate county, school district or special district property tax. The District government levies one rate and runs the public schools itself, so the whole residential bill goes to the District.
100¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Washington, D.C.
- District of Columbia (residential, Class 1)0.85 · 100%
- Total ($ per $100 of assessed value)0.85
Residential property tax rate in the District of Columbia (Class 1). Government of the District of Columbia · Jan 23, 2026
See what a Washington, D.C. house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Washington, D.C. is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityMetropolitan Police DepartmentCouncil of the District of Columbia · Jun 23, 2026
- Trash and recyclingThe cityDepartment of Public WorksGovernment of the District of Columbia · Jan 23, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityDepartment of Parks and RecreationCouncil of the District of Columbia · Jun 23, 2026
- StreetsThe cityDistrict Department of TransportationCouncil of the District of Columbia · Jun 23, 2026
Compared with other cities
Cities in other states, so read this for scale, not as a ranking. Comparisons with similar cities in the same state come as we cover more of them.
| Per city | Las VegasNV | El PasoTX | WashingtonDC | DenverCO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 679,817 | 683,012 | 693,645 | 740,613 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $360,000 | $350,000 | Not confirmed | Not current (2022) |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $72,800 | $176,694 | Not current (2023) |
| General fund per resident | $1,169 | $964 | $19,880 | $2,263 |
| Debt per resident | $775 | $2,227 | $20,124 | $11,533 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $886 | $1,052 | $0 | $2,190 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 10.2 | 51.2 | 18.8 |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how). Las Vegas pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Washington, D.C. publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe City Administrator serves at the mayor's pleasure. We found no employment contract or salary document online. DC Department of Human Resources
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document Council of the District of Columbia · Jun 30, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay publishedDC Human Resources posts Public Body Employee Information, updated quarterly. The Council posts its staff salaries in Schedule A. DC Department of Human Resources
Questions to ask your council
- General fund spending was $13.06 billion in FY2025 against $12.76 billion of revenue. How does the FY2027 general fund budget of $13.79 billion keep spending in line with revenue?
- The District owes $13.96 billion in bonds and notes. How much of each year's general fund goes to debt service, and how close is it to the District's own debt limit?
- The general fund shows no unassigned balance because its reserves are restricted or committed. How much of the FY2027 budget depends on drawing those reserves down?
- No document we could read states the City Administrator's salary. Will the District publish it?
Help decide what comes next
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