Photo: User:akampfer · CC BY-SA 3.0Carey spent less per resident in 2022 than 95% of similar cities
Carey’s city government spent $315,000 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $466 per resident. Water and other utilities ($116,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Carey is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$80 per resident in 2022: less than 95% of them
Carey’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($80 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 85 Idaho cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $561, and the middle half spent $300–$814. Carey spent less than 95% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($6,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Carey itself left out).
About $466 per resident a year, or $1.28 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 37%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 506% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Carey 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: $80 · 2024: $466. Per resident it went from $80 to $466 (up 482%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 649 to 676.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,500 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.48% 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 Carey’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 Carey’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Carey →
Who’s in charge in Carey
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 338 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 (676).
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.
Blaine County School District 61
Carey’s K–12 school district, shared with Bellevue, Hailey, Ketchum, Sun Valley. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,935 per pupil, $12,018 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.
Carey’s votes are counted by county
Idaho reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Carey alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Blaine County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat64.4%8,424 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican32.7%4,281 votesOthers: 2.9% (384 votes).
Most votes in Blaine County: Kamala D Harris
Idaho: Trump 66.9%, Harris 30.4%
100% of Carey lies in Blaine County. Every 2024 race in Blaine County is on the county’s page.
Blaine 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 Carey.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Carey’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Carey’s government
How much does Carey spend per resident?
About $466 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 $80 was less than 95% of 85 Idaho cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Carey?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,500 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.48% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.49% across Idaho. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Carey’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Carey yet.
How did Carey vote in 2024?
Idaho counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Carey alone. Blaine County, where 100% of Carey lies, voted Harris 64.4%, Trump 32.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Carey?
2 full-time and 3 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $15,421 (about $185,052 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Carey in the state legislature?
State Senate District 26 (Ron Taylor) and State House District 26 (Jack Nelsen and Mike Pohanka). The House district also covers 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Carey’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 →