Photo: w_lemay · CC BY-SA 2.0How is Sioux City run?
Sioux City’s city government spent $141.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,654 per resident. Water and other utilities ($17.6 million) and the airport ($7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Sioux City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,654 per resident a year, or $4.53 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 24%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,558 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Sioux City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,558 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 18 Iowa cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,500, and the middle half spent $1,137–$1,782. Sioux City spent more than 50% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($33.1 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 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Sioux City itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 10% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Sioux City 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: $1,558 · 2023: $1,603 · 2024: $1,654.
full-time in March 2025, up from 713 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 $2,668 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.54% 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 Sioux City’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 Sioux City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sioux City →
Who’s in charge in Sioux City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Sioux City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on sioux-city.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 118 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (85,497).
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.
Sioux City Community School District
Sioux City’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,372 per pupil, $8,309 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.
Sergeant Bluff-Luton Community School District · $12,903 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Sioux City’s votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sioux City 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 Sioux City lies in Woodbury County; the rest in Plymouth 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 Sioux City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: sioux-city.org ↗
- 2Iowa HouseSioux City is split between 3 districts
- 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 Sioux City compares with the towns next door
Sioux City spent $1,558 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,034. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Sergeant Bluff | $1,034 | $3,561 |
| Sioux City | $1,558 | $2,668 |
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 Sioux City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Sioux City’s government
How much does Sioux City spend per resident?
About $1,654 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 $1,558 was more than 50% of 18 Iowa cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Sioux City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,668 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.54% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see sioux-city.org.
Who runs Sioux City’s government?
See sioux-city.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sioux City yet.
How did Sioux City vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sioux City alone. Woodbury County, where 100% of Sioux City lies, voted Trump 60.9%, Harris 37.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Sioux City?
723 full-time and 135 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $5.5M (about $66.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Sioux City in the state legislature?
Sioux City is split among 3 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 Sioux City’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 →