Photo: Billwhittaker · CC BY-SA 3.0Shell Rock spent more per resident in 2022 than 94% of similar cities
Shell Rock’s city government spent $1.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $951 per resident. Water and other utilities ($93,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Shell Rock is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,800 per resident in 2022: more than 94% of them
Shell Rock’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,800 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. Shell Rock spent more than 94% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($295,000), 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; Shell Rock itself left out).
About $951 per resident a year, or $2.61 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 47% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Shell Rock 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: $1,800 · 2023: $951.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,626 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.61% 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 Shell Rock’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 Shell Rock’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Shell Rock →
Who’s in charge in Shell Rock
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 424 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 (1,271).
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.
Waverly-Shell Rock Community School District
Shell Rock’s K–12 school district, shared with Waverly. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,831 per pupil, $8,545 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.
Shell Rock’s votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Shell Rock alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Butler County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican72.1%5,784 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat26.7%2,144 votesOthers: 1.2% (99 votes).
Most votes in Butler County: Donald J Trump
Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Shell Rock lies in Butler County. Every 2024 race in Butler County is on the county’s page.
Butler 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 Shell Rock.
- 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 Shell Rock’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Shell Rock’s government
How much does Shell Rock spend per resident?
About $951 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 $1,800 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 Shell Rock?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,626 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.61% 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 Shell Rock’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Shell Rock yet.
How did Shell Rock vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Shell Rock alone. Butler County, where 100% of Shell Rock lies, voted Trump 72.1%, Harris 26.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Shell Rock?
3 full-time and 3 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $18,120 (about $217,440 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Shell Rock in the state legislature?
State Senate District 29 (Sandy Salmon) and State House District 57 (Pat Grassley). The House district also covers 13 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Shell Rock’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 →