Pocatello Westside Residential Historic District · Photo: Eric Kjaemperud · CC BY-SA 3.0Pocatello spent more per resident in 2022 than 80% of similar cities
Pocatello’s city government spent $85.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,488 per resident. Water and other utilities ($14.6 million) and the airport ($3.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Pocatello is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$956 per resident in 2022: more than 80% of them
Pocatello’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($956 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 118 Idaho cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $668, and the middle half spent $339–$872. Pocatello spent more than 80% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($14.4 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 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Pocatello itself left out).
About $1,488 per resident a year, or $4.08 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 57% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Pocatello 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: $956 · 2023: $1,320 · 2024: $1,488.
full-time in March 2025, up from 487 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 $1,877 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.69% 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 Pocatello’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 Pocatello’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Pocatello →
Who’s in charge in Pocatello
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Pocatello’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on pocatello.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 96 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 (57,730).
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.
Pocatello School District 25
Pocatello’s K–12 school district, shared with Chubbuck. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $10,686 per pupil, $6,734 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.
American Falls Joint School District 381 · $14,273 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Pocatello’s votes are counted by county
Idaho reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Pocatello alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Bannock County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican60.9%24,329 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat35.8%14,306 votesOthers: 3.4% (1,341 votes).
Most votes in Bannock County: Donald J Trump
Idaho: Trump 66.9%, Harris 30.4%
100% of Pocatello lies in Bannock County; the rest in Power County. Every 2024 race in Bannock County is on the county’s page.
Bannock 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
Pocatello sends 4 representatives to the Idaho House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: pocatello.us ↗
- 2Idaho HousePocatello is split between 2 districts
- 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.
How Pocatello compares with the towns next door
Pocatello spent $956 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $807. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Chubbuck | $807 | $2,401 |
| Pocatello | $956 | $1,877 |
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 Pocatello’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Pocatello’s government
How much does Pocatello spend per resident?
About $1,488 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 $956 was more than 80% of 118 Idaho cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Pocatello?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,877 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.69% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.49% across Idaho. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see pocatello.us.
Who runs Pocatello’s government?
See pocatello.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Pocatello yet.
How did Pocatello vote in 2024?
Idaho counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Pocatello alone. Bannock County, where 100% of Pocatello lies, voted Trump 60.9%, Harris 35.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Pocatello?
600 full-time and 107 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.5M (about $41.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Pocatello in the state legislature?
Pocatello is split among 2 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Idaho Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Pocatello’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 →