Photo: PopePompus · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Houghton run?
Houghton’s city government spent $673,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $4,912 per resident.
What stands out about how Houghton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Fort Madison Community School District
Houghton’s K–12 school district, shared with St. Paul, West Point, Fort Madison. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,720 per pupil, $9,304 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.
About $4,912 per resident a year, or $13.46 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$852 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Houghton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($852 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. Houghton spent less than 54% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($21,000), 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; Houghton itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 485% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Houghton 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: $852 · 2023: $4,912. Per resident it went from $852 to $4,912 (up 477%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 135 to 137.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,975 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.78% 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 Houghton’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 Houghton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Houghton →
Who’s in charge in Houghton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Houghton’s votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Houghton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lee County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican62.8%10,152 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat35.0%5,659 votesOthers: 2.1% (343 votes).
Most votes in Lee County: Donald J Trump
Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Houghton lies in Lee County. Every 2024 race in Lee County is on the county’s page.
Lee 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 Houghton.
- 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 Houghton’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Houghton’s government
How much does Houghton spend per resident?
About $4,912 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 $852 was less than 54% of 802 Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Houghton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,975 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.78% 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 Houghton’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Houghton yet.
How did Houghton vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Houghton alone. Lee County, where 100% of Houghton lies, voted Trump 62.8%, Harris 35.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Houghton?
0 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $3,805 (about $45,660 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Houghton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 50 (Jeff Reichman) and State House District 100 (Blaine Watkins). The House district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Houghton’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 →