Photo: Mostly Iowa Edits · CC BY-SA 4.0Dallas Center spent more per resident in 2022 than 81% of similar cities
Dallas Center’s city government spent $7.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $3,740 per resident. Water and other utilities ($371,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Dallas Center is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,328 per resident in 2022: more than 81% of them
Dallas Center’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,328 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 802 Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $900, and the middle half spent $632–$1,186. Dallas Center spent more than 81% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($510,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Dallas Center itself left out).
About $3,740 per resident a year, or $10.25 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 72%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 196% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Dallas Center 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: $1,328 · 2023: $3,740. Per resident it went from $1,328 to $3,740 (up 182%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,822 to 1,915.
full-time in March 2025, up from 6 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,766 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.53% 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 Dallas Center’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Dallas Center’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dallas Center →
Who’s in charge in Dallas Center
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Dallas Center’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on dallascenter.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 274 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (1,915).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Dallas Center-Grimes Community School District
Dallas Center’s K–12 school district, shared with Grimes. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,805 per pupil, $7,350 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.
Dallas Center’s votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dallas Center alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Dallas County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican51.7%32,374 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat46.9%29,402 votesOthers: 1.4% (857 votes).
Most votes in Dallas County: Donald J Trump
Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Dallas Center lies in Dallas County. Every 2024 race in Dallas County is on the county’s page.
Dallas 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 Dallas Center.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: dallascenter.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 Dallas Center’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Dallas Center’s government
How much does Dallas Center spend per resident?
About $3,740 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 $1,328 was more than 81% of 802 Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Dallas Center?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,766 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.53% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see dallascenter.com.
Who runs Dallas Center’s government?
See dallascenter.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dallas Center yet.
How did Dallas Center vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dallas Center alone. Dallas County, where 100% of Dallas Center lies, voted Trump 51.7%, Harris 46.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Dallas Center?
7 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $49,154 (about $589,848 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Dallas Center in the state legislature?
State Senate District 24 (Jesse Green) and State House District 47 (Carter Nordman). The House district also covers 23 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Dallas Center’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 →