Photo: Nst101 · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Guthrie Center run?
Guthrie Center’s city government spent $1.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,186 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Guthrie Center is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,186 per resident a year, or $3.25 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$955 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Guthrie Center’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($955 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–$1,190. Guthrie Center spent more than 55% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($355,000), 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; Guthrie Center itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 31% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Guthrie 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: $955 · 2024: $1,186. Per resident it went from $955 to $1,186 (up 24%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,487 to 1,574.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,482 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.20% 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 Guthrie 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 Guthrie Center’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Guthrie Center →
Who’s in charge in Guthrie Center
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Guthrie Center’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on guthriecenter.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 175 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (1,574).
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.
Guthrie Center Community School District
Guthrie Center’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,304 per pupil, $7,951 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 Guthrie Center voted in 2024
Official results for Guthrie Center’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.2%820 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat32.3%400 votesOthers: 1.5% (18 votes).
Most votes in Guthrie Center: Donald J Trump
Guthrie County: Trump 68.3%, Harris 30.3% · Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
Most votes in the district: Zach Nunn
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Guthrie Center, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guthrie Center | 66.2% | 32.3% | 1.5% | 1,238 |
| Guthrie County | 68.3% | 30.3% | 1.4% | 6,514 |
| 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 Guthrie Center.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: guthriecenter.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 Guthrie Center’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Guthrie Center’s government
How much does Guthrie Center spend per resident?
About $1,186 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 $955 was more than 55% of 802 Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Guthrie Center?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,482 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.20% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see guthriecenter.com.
Who runs Guthrie Center’s government?
See guthriecenter.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Guthrie Center yet.
How did Guthrie Center vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 66.2%, Kamala D Harris 32.3% (1,238 votes, official results). Guthrie County: Trump 68.3%, Harris 30.3%. Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%.
How many people work for Guthrie Center?
9 full-time and 17 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $57,904 (about $694,848 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Guthrie 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 Guthrie 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 →