Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domainBonners Ferry spent more per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities
Bonners Ferry’s city government spent $2.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,022 per resident. Water and other utilities ($5.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bonners Ferry is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,454 per resident in 2022: more than 100% of them
Bonners Ferry’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,454 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 $742, and the middle half spent $698–$798. Bonners Ferry spent more than 100% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($830,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Idaho cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bonners Ferry itself left out).
About $1,022 per resident a year, or $2.80 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 30% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bonners Ferry 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: $1,454 · 2023: $1,094 · 2024: $1,022.
full-time in March 2025, up from 30 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,269 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.45% 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 Bonners Ferry’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 Bonners Ferry’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bonners Ferry →
Who’s in charge in Bonners Ferry
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bonners Ferry’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on bonners-ferry.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 82 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 (2,698).
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.
Boundary County School District 101
Bonners Ferry’s K–12 school district, shared with Moyie Springs. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,222 per pupil, $6,954 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.
Bonners Ferry’s votes are counted by county
Idaho reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bonners Ferry alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Boundary County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican81.5%5,794 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat16.1%1,145 votesOthers: 2.4% (171 votes).
Most votes in Boundary County: Donald J Trump
Idaho: Trump 66.9%, Harris 30.4%
100% of Bonners Ferry lies in Boundary County. Every 2024 race in Boundary County is on the county’s page.
Boundary 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 Bonners Ferry.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: bonners-ferry.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 Bonners Ferry’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bonners Ferry’s government
How much does Bonners Ferry spend per resident?
About $1,022 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 $1,454 was more than 100% of 15 Idaho cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bonners Ferry?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,269 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.45% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.49% across Idaho. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bonners-ferry.com.
Who runs Bonners Ferry’s government?
See bonners-ferry.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bonners Ferry yet.
How did Bonners Ferry vote in 2024?
Idaho counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bonners Ferry alone. Boundary County, where 100% of Bonners Ferry lies, voted Trump 81.5%, Harris 16.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bonners Ferry?
33 full-time and 22 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $234,509 (about $2.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bonners Ferry in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Jim Woodward) and State House District 1 (Cornel Rasor and Mark Sauter). The House district also covers 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bonners Ferry’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 →