Pleasant Grove Community Church and Cemetery · Photo: Dagwin57 · CC BY-SA 3.0Gilbert spent more per resident in 2022 than 94% of similar cities
Gilbert’s city government spent $1.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,495 per resident. Water and other utilities ($353,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Gilbert is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,804 per resident in 2022: more than 94% of them
Gilbert’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,804 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. Gilbert spent more than 94% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($137,000), 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; Gilbert itself left out).
About $1,495 per resident a year, or $4.10 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: housing & development, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 9% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Gilbert 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: $1,804 · 2024: $1,495. Per resident it went from $1,804 to $1,495 (down 17%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,152 to 1,261.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,875 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.41% 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 Gilbert’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 Gilbert’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Gilbert →
Who’s in charge in Gilbert
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 420 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (1,261).
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.
Gilbert Community School District
Gilbert’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,597 per pupil, $8,016 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.
How Gilbert voted in 2024
Official results for Gilbert’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican56.0%436 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat41.9%326 votesOthers: 2.1% (16 votes).
Most votes in Gilbert: Donald J Trump
Story County: Harris 54.4%, Trump 44.0% · Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
of Gilbert’s 1,013 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Iowa: 70%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in the district: Randy Feenstra
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Gilbert, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilbert | 56.0% | 41.9% | 2.1% | 778 |
| Story County | 44.0% | 54.4% | 1.6% | 49,200 |
| Iowa | 55.7% | 42.5% | 1.8% | 1,663,506 |
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 Gilbert.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Gilbert’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Gilbert’s government
How much does Gilbert spend per resident?
About $1,495 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,804 was more than 94% of 802 Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Gilbert?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,875 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.41% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Gilbert’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Gilbert yet.
How did Gilbert vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 56.0%, Kamala D Harris 41.9% (778 votes, official results). Story County: Harris 54.4%, Trump 44.0%. Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%.
How many people work for Gilbert?
3 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $13,488 (about $161,856 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Gilbert in the state legislature?
State Senate District 26 (Kara Warme) and State House District 51 (Brett Barker). The House district also covers 16 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Gilbert’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 →