Sanborn spent more per resident in 2022 than 94% of similar cities
Sanborn’s city government spent $3.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,352 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Sanborn is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,848 per resident in 2022: more than 94% of them
Sanborn’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,848 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. Sanborn spent more than 94% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($786,000), 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; Sanborn itself left out).
About $2,352 per resident a year, or $6.44 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 31% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Sanborn 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: $1,848 · 2023: $2,573 · 2024: $2,352.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,732 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.03% 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 Sanborn’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 Sanborn’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sanborn →
Who’s in charge in Sanborn
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Sanborn’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on sanborniowa.com/index.php ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 68 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 (1,427).
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.
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community School District
Sanborn’s K–12 school district, shared with Hartley, Melvin. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,016 per pupil, $8,088 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.
Sanborn’s votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sanborn alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are O'Brien County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican80.0%5,998 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat19.0%1,428 votesOthers: 1.0% (75 votes).
Most votes in O'Brien County: Donald J Trump
Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Sanborn lies in O'Brien County. Every 2024 race in O'Brien County is on the county’s page.
O'Brien 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 Sanborn.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: sanborniowa.com/index.php ↗
- 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 Sanborn’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Sanborn’s government
How much does Sanborn spend per resident?
About $2,352 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 $1,848 was more than 94% of 802 Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Sanborn?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,732 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.03% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see sanborniowa.com/index.php.
Who runs Sanborn’s government?
See sanborniowa.com/index.php for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sanborn yet.
How did Sanborn vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sanborn alone. O'Brien County, where 100% of Sanborn lies, voted Trump 80.0%, Harris 19.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Sanborn?
21 full-time and 4 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $82,958 (about $995,496 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Sanborn in the state legislature?
State Senate District 3 (Lynn Evans) and State House District 5 (Zach Dieken). The House district also covers 16 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Sanborn’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 →