Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Onawa run?
Onawa’s city government spent $5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,763 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Onawa is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,763 per resident a year, or $4.83 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 39%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,273 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Onawa’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,273 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 91 Iowa cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,166, and the middle half spent $1,027–$1,402. Onawa spent more than 59% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($877,000), 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Onawa itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 43% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Onawa 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: $1,273 · 2023: $1,763.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,888 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.29% 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 Onawa’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.
Tax bills are one input to Onawa’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Onawa →
Who’s in charge in Onawa
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Onawa’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on onawa.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 238 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (2,850).
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.
West Monona Community School District
Onawa’s K–12 school district, shared with Blencoe, Turin. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,515 per pupil, $7,233 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 Onawa voted in 2024
Official results for Onawa’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.1%926 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat30.0%402 votesOthers: 1.0% (13 votes).
Most votes in Onawa: Donald J Trump
Monona County: Trump 72.2%, Harris 26.8% · Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
of Onawa’s 2,112 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: Onawa, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onawa | 69.1% | 30.0% | 1.0% | 1,341 |
| Monona County | 72.2% | 26.8% | 1.1% | 4,616 |
| 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 Onawa.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: onawa.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 Onawa’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Onawa’s government
How much does Onawa spend per resident?
About $1,763 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 $1,273 was more than 59% of 91 Iowa cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Onawa?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,888 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.29% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see onawa.com.
Who runs Onawa’s government?
See onawa.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Onawa yet.
How did Onawa vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 69.1%, Kamala D Harris 30.0% (1,341 votes, official results). Monona County: Trump 72.2%, Harris 26.8%. Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%.
How many people work for Onawa?
12 full-time and 10 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $69,228 (about $830,736 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Onawa in the state legislature?
State Senate District 7 (Kevin Alons) and State House District 13 (Travis Sitzmann). The House district also covers 30 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Onawa’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 →