Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Sergeant Bluff spent less per resident in 2022 than 72% of similar cities
Sergeant Bluff’s city government spent $5.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,051 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Sergeant Bluff is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,034 per resident in 2022: less than 72% of them
Sergeant Bluff’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,034 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 $1,177, and the middle half spent $1,027–$1,402. Sergeant Bluff spent less than 72% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.2 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Sergeant Bluff itself left out).
About $1,051 per resident a year, or $2.88 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 4% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Sergeant Bluff 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: $1,034 · 2024: $1,051.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,561 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.19% 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 Sergeant Bluff’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 Sergeant Bluff’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sergeant Bluff →
Who’s in charge in Sergeant Bluff
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Sergeant Bluff’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofsergeantbluff.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 181 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 (5,253).
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.
Sergeant Bluff-Luton Community School District
Sergeant Bluff’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,903 per pupil, $8,154 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.
Sergeant Bluff’s votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sergeant Bluff alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Woodbury County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican60.9%25,969 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat37.8%16,145 votesOthers: 1.3% (560 votes).
Most votes in Woodbury County: Donald J Trump
Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Sergeant Bluff lies in Woodbury County. Every 2024 race in Woodbury County is on the county’s page.
Woodbury 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 Sergeant Bluff.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofsergeantbluff.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.
How Sergeant Bluff compares with the towns next door
Sergeant Bluff spent $1,034 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,558. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Sioux City | $1,558 | $2,668 |
| Sergeant Bluff | $1,034 | $3,561 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Sergeant Bluff’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Sergeant Bluff’s government
How much does Sergeant Bluff spend per resident?
About $1,051 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 $1,034 was less than 72% of 91 Iowa cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Sergeant Bluff?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,561 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.19% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofsergeantbluff.com.
Who runs Sergeant Bluff’s government?
See cityofsergeantbluff.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sergeant Bluff yet.
How did Sergeant Bluff vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sergeant Bluff alone. Woodbury County, where 100% of Sergeant Bluff lies, voted Trump 60.9%, Harris 37.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Sergeant Bluff?
29 full-time and 26 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $151,616 (about $1.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Sergeant Bluff in the state legislature?
State Senate District 7 (Kevin Alons) and State House District 14 (Jacob Bossman). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Sergeant Bluff’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 →