Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Creston spent less per resident in 2022 than 71% of similar cities
Creston’s city government spent $10.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,422 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.4 million) and the airport ($4.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Creston is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,041 per resident in 2022: less than 71% of them
Creston’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,041 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 91 Iowa cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,177, and the middle half spent $1,027–$1,402. Creston spent less than 71% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.2 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Iowa cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Creston itself left out).
About $1,422 per resident a year, or $3.90 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 34% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Creston reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,041 · 2023: $1,422.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,096 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.83% of the home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Creston’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Creston’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Creston →
Who’s in charge in Creston
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Creston’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on aftoniowa.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 208 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (7,487).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Creston Community School District
Creston’s K–12 school district, shared with Cromwell, Prescott. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,701 per pupil, $7,838 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Iowa districts overall: 43% local, 49% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Creston’s votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Creston alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Union County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican67.4%4,044 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat31.3%1,874 votesOthers: 1.3% (78 votes).
Most votes in Union County: Donald J Trump
Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Creston lies in Union County. Every 2024 race in Union County is on the county’s page.
Union County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Creston.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: aftoniowa.com ↗
- 2Iowa HouseState representatives
- 3Iowa SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Iowa
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Creston’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Creston’s government
How much does Creston spend per resident?
About $1,422 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,041 was less than 71% of 91 Iowa cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Creston?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,096 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.83% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see aftoniowa.com.
Who runs Creston’s government?
See aftoniowa.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Creston yet.
How did Creston vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Creston alone. Union County, where 100% of Creston lies, voted Trump 67.4%, Harris 31.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Creston?
36 full-time and 25 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $188,198 (about $2.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Creston in the state legislature?
State Senate District 9 (Tom Shipley) and State House District 17 (Devon Wood). The House district also covers 30 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Creston’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →