Photo: Bill Whittaker · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Peterson run?
Peterson’s city government spent $348,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,074 per resident. Water and other utilities ($80,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Peterson is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,074 per resident a year, or $2.94 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,039 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Peterson’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,039 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. Peterson spent more than 63% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($61,000), 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; Peterson itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 10% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Peterson 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: $1,039 · 2023: $1,074. Per resident it went from $1,039 to $1,074 (up 3%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 304 to 324.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,071 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.15% 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 Peterson’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 Peterson’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Peterson →
Who’s in charge in Peterson
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 108 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 (324).
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.
Sioux Central Community School District
Peterson’s K–12 school district, shared with Linn Grove, Rembrandt, Sioux Rapids, Webb. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,936 per pupil, $8,800 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.
Peterson’s votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Peterson alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Clay County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican71.0%6,047 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat27.8%2,367 votesOthers: 1.2% (100 votes).
Most votes in Clay County: Donald J Trump
Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Peterson lies in Clay County. Every 2024 race in Clay County is on the county’s page.
Clay 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 Peterson.
- 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 Peterson’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Peterson’s government
How much does Peterson spend per resident?
About $1,074 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 $1,039 was more than 63% of 802 Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Peterson?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,071 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.15% 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 Peterson’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Peterson yet.
How did Peterson vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Peterson alone. Clay County, where 100% of Peterson lies, voted Trump 71.0%, Harris 27.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Peterson?
3 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $12,708 (about $152,496 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Peterson in the state legislature?
State Senate District 3 (Lynn Evans) and State House District 6 (Megan Jones). The House district also covers 15 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Peterson’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 →