Photo: SkylerSailer · CC BY-SA 4.0Le Mars runs its own hospital
Le Mars’ city government spent $17 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,606 per resident. It also runs a hospital ($105.3 million) and water utilities ($2.3 million), counted separately. Census Bureau figures.
What stands out about how Le Mars is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,606 per resident a year, or $4.40 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,522 per resident in 2022: more than 65% of them
Le Mars’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,522 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 23 Iowa cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,462, and the middle half spent $1,179–$1,838. Le Mars spent more than 65% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.5 million), 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Le Mars itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 10% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Le Mars 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: $1,522 · 2023: $1,558 · 2024: $1,606.
full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), up from 65 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,373 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.08% 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 Le Mars’ 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.
Tax bills are one input to Le Mars’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Le Mars →
Who’s in charge in Le Mars
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Le Mars’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on lemarsiowa.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 147 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (10,605).
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.
Le Mars Community School District
Le Mars’ K–12 school district, shared with Brunsville, Craig, Merrill, Struble. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,962 per pupil, $8,223 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.
Le Mars’ votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Le Mars alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Plymouth County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican76.5%10,661 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat22.3%3,104 votesOthers: 1.2% (166 votes).
Most votes in Plymouth County: Donald J Trump
Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Le Mars lies in Plymouth County. Every 2024 race in Plymouth County is on the county’s page.
Plymouth 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 Le Mars.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: lemarsiowa.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 Le Mars’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Le Mars’ government
How much does Le Mars spend per resident?
About $1,606 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. Le Mars also runs a hospital ($105.3 million), counted separately. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,522 was more than 65% of 23 Iowa cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Le Mars?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,373 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.08% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see lemarsiowa.com.
Who runs Le Mars’ government?
See lemarsiowa.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Le Mars yet.
How did Le Mars vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Le Mars alone. Plymouth County, where 100% of Le Mars lies, voted Trump 76.5%, Harris 22.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Le Mars?
72 full-time and 173 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 236 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $2.3M (about $27.3M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Le Mars in the state legislature?
State Senate District 2 (Jeff Taylor) and State House District 3 (Tom Jeneary). The House district also covers 13 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Le Mars’ 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 →