Ponderay spent more per resident in 2022 than 92% of similar cities
Ponderay’s city government spent $1.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,172 per resident. Water and other utilities ($75,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Ponderay is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,427 per resident in 2022: more than 92% of them
Ponderay’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,427 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 $558, and the middle half spent $299–$776. Ponderay spent more than 92% of 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; Ponderay itself left out).
About $1,172 per resident a year, or $3.21 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 47%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 11% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Ponderay 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: $1,427 · 2023: $1,237 · 2024: $1,172. Per resident it went from $1,427 to $1,172 (down 18%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,180 to 1,601.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
Who’s in charge in Ponderay
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Ponderay’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofponderay.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 160 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 (1,601).
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.
Lake Pend Oreille School District 84
Ponderay’s K–12 school district, shared with Clark Fork, Dover, East Hope, Hope, Kootenai and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,207 per pupil, $7,443 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.
Ponderay’s votes are counted by county
Idaho reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ponderay alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Bonner County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican71.9%21,352 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat25.7%7,650 votesOthers: 2.4% (708 votes).
Most votes in Bonner County: Donald J Trump
Idaho: Trump 66.9%, Harris 30.4%
100% of Ponderay lies in Bonner County. Every 2024 race in Bonner County is on the county’s page.
Bonner 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 Ponderay.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofponderay.org ↗
- 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.
How Ponderay compares with the towns next door
Ponderay spent $1,427 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $196. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
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 Ponderay’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Ponderay’s government
How much does Ponderay spend per resident?
About $1,172 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 $1,427 was more than 92% of 85 Idaho cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Ponderay’s government?
See cityofponderay.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ponderay yet.
How did Ponderay vote in 2024?
Idaho counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ponderay alone. Bonner County, where 100% of Ponderay lies, voted Trump 71.9%, Harris 25.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Ponderay?
10 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $58,362 (about $700,344 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Ponderay 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 Ponderay’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 →