Photo: Ken Lund · CC BY-SA 2.0How is American Falls run?
American Falls’ city government spent $2.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $603 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how American Falls is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $603 per resident a year, or $1.65 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$742 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
American Falls’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($742 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 15 Idaho cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $747, and the middle half spent $698–$858. American Falls spent less than 53% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.3 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 →
Idaho cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; American Falls itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 12% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years American Falls 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: $742 · 2024: $603. Per resident it went from $742 to $603 (down 19%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 4,298 to 4,660.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,475 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.79% of the home’s value, vs 0.49% across Idaho.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at American Falls’ 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 American Falls’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in American Falls →
Who’s in charge in American Falls
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
American Falls’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofamericanfalls.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 173 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 (4,660).
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.
American Falls Joint School District 381
American Falls’ K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,273 per pupil, $7,679 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.
Idaho districts overall: 21% local, 67% state, 12% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
American Falls’ votes are counted by county
Idaho reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for American Falls alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Power County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican71.0%2,146 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat26.0%785 votesOthers: 3.0% (90 votes).
Most votes in Power County: Donald J Trump
Idaho: Trump 66.9%, Harris 30.4%
100% of American Falls lies in Power County. Every 2024 race in Power County is on the county’s page.
Power 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 American Falls.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofamericanfalls.com ↗
- 2Idaho HouseState representatives
- 3Idaho SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Idaho
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach American Falls’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about American Falls’ government
How much does American Falls spend per resident?
About $603 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $742 was less than 53% of 15 Idaho cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in American Falls?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,475 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.79% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.49% across Idaho. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofamericanfalls.com.
Who runs American Falls’ government?
See cityofamericanfalls.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for American Falls yet.
How did American Falls vote in 2024?
Idaho counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for American Falls alone. Power County, where 100% of American Falls lies, voted Trump 71.0%, Harris 26.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for American Falls?
27 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $116,541 (about $1.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents American Falls in the state legislature?
State Senate District 28 (Jim Guthrie) and State House District 28 (Dan Garner and Rick Cheatum). The House district also covers 11 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about American Falls’ 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 →