Laurens Carnegie Free Library · Photo: CelticClicker · CC BY-SA 3.0Laurens spent more per resident in 2022 than 87% of similar cities
Laurens’ city government spent $3.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $3,126 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Laurens is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,489 per resident in 2022: more than 87% of them
Laurens’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,489 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. Laurens spent more than 87% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($511,000), 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; Laurens itself left out).
About $3,126 per resident a year, or $8.56 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 13%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 135% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Laurens 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: $1,489 · 2024: $3,126. Per resident it went from $1,489 to $3,126 (up 110%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,126 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 $879 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.46% 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 Laurens’ 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 Laurens’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Laurens →
Who’s in charge in Laurens
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Laurens’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on laurens-ia.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 63 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.
Laurens-Marathon Community School District
Laurens’ elementary school district, shared with Marathon. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $21,255 per pupil, $10,890 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 Laurens voted in 2024
Official results for Laurens’ own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican74.3%483 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat24.0%156 votesOthers: 1.7% (11 votes).
Most votes in Laurens: Donald J Trump
Pocahontas County: Trump 76.3%, Harris 22.3% · Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
of Laurens’ 954 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: Laurens, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurens | 74.3% | 24.0% | 1.7% | 650 |
| Pocahontas County | 76.3% | 22.3% | 1.4% | 3,573 |
| 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 Laurens.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: laurens-ia.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 Laurens’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Laurens’ government
How much does Laurens spend per resident?
About $3,126 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 $1,489 was more than 87% of 802 Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Laurens?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $879 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.46% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see laurens-ia.com.
Who runs Laurens’ government?
See laurens-ia.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Laurens yet.
How did Laurens vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 74.3%, Kamala D Harris 24.0% (650 votes, official results). Pocahontas County: Trump 76.3%, Harris 22.3%. Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%.
How many people work for Laurens?
20 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $87,927 (about $1.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Laurens in the state legislature?
State Senate District 4 (Tim Kraayenbrink) and State House District 7 (Wendy Larson). The House district also covers 35 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Laurens’ 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 →