Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0Priest River spent more per resident in 2022 than 80% of similar cities
Priest River’s city government spent $1.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, about $1,013 per resident. Water and other utilities ($520,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Priest River is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$876 per resident in 2022: more than 80% of them
Priest River’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($876 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. Priest River spent more than 80% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($380,000), 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; Priest River itself left out).
About $1,013 per resident a year, or $2.78 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 4% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Priest River 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: $876 · 2023: $1,013. Per resident it went from $876 to $1,013 (up 16%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,930 to 1,742.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,664 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.56% 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 Priest River’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 Priest River’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Priest River →
Who’s in charge in Priest River
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Priest River’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on priestriver-id.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 76 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (1,742).
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.
West Bonner County School District 83
Priest River’s K–12 school district, shared with Oldtown. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14 per pupil, $14 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.
Priest River’s votes are counted by county
Idaho reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Priest River 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 Priest River 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 Priest River.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: priestriver-id.gov ↗
- 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 Priest River’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Priest River’s government
How much does Priest River spend per resident?
About $1,013 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $876 was more than 80% of 85 Idaho cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Priest River?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,664 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.56% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.49% across Idaho. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see priestriver-id.gov.
Who runs Priest River’s government?
See priestriver-id.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Priest River yet.
How did Priest River vote in 2024?
Idaho counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Priest River alone. Bonner County, where 100% of Priest River lies, voted Trump 71.9%, Harris 25.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Priest River?
23 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $74,530 (about $894,360 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Priest River 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 Priest River’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 →