Photo: Matthew Shaw00 · CC BY-SA 4.0Shenandoah spent less per resident in 2022 than 76% of similar cities
Shenandoah’s city government spent $5.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,201 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.5 million) and the airport ($251,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Shenandoah is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,026 per resident in 2022: less than 76% of them
Shenandoah’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,026 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 $1,030–$1,402. Shenandoah spent less than 76% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($901,000), 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; Shenandoah itself left out).
About $1,201 per resident a year, or $3.29 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 18%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 19% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Shenandoah 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: $1,026 · 2023: $1,201.
full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), up from 43 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,724 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.48% 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 Shenandoah’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 Shenandoah’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Shenandoah →
Who’s in charge in Shenandoah
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 108 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (4,861).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Shenandoah Community School District
Shenandoah’s K–12 school district, shared with Imogene, Northboro, Farragut. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,601 per pupil, $7,600 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.
Shenandoah’s votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Shenandoah alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Page County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican70.6%5,153 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat28.2%2,060 votesOthers: 1.2% (84 votes).
Most votes in Page County: Donald J Trump
Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Shenandoah lies in Page County; the rest in Fremont County. Every 2024 race in Page County is on the county’s page.
Page 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 Shenandoah.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Iowa HouseShenandoah is split between 2 districts
- 3Iowa SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Iowa
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Shenandoah’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Shenandoah’s government
How much does Shenandoah spend per resident?
About $1,201 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 $1,026 was less than 76% of 91 Iowa cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Shenandoah?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,724 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.48% 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 Shenandoah’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Shenandoah yet.
How did Shenandoah vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Shenandoah alone. Page County, where 100% of Shenandoah lies, voted Trump 70.6%, Harris 28.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Shenandoah?
45 full-time and 14 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 0 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $236,859 (about $2.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Shenandoah in the state legislature?
Shenandoah is split among 2 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Iowa Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Shenandoah’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 →