Dayton Historic District · Photo: Huw Williams (Huwmanbeing) · Public domainHow is Dayton run?
Dayton’s town government spent $1.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $988 per resident. Water and other utilities ($249,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Dayton is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $988 per resident a year, or $2.71 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 48%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$549 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Dayton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($549 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 363 Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $586, and the middle half spent $292–$967. Dayton spent less than 53% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($297,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Dayton itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 45% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Dayton 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: $549 · 2023: $988. Per resident it went from $549 to $988 (up 80%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,667 to 1,340.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $959 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.54% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Dayton’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 Dayton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dayton →
Who’s in charge in Dayton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Dayton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on dayton.in.gov ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 1,340 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (1,340).
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.
Tippecanoe School Corporation
Dayton’s K–12 school district, shared with Battle Ground, Clarks Hill, Jackson Township, Lauramie Township, Perry Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,150 per pupil, $6,456 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.
Indiana districts overall: 33% local, 56% state, 11% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Dayton.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: dayton.in.gov ↗
- 2Indiana HouseState representatives
- 3Indiana SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Indiana
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Dayton compares with the towns next door
Dayton spent $549 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $989. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Lafayette | $989 | $1,117 |
| Dayton | $549 | $959 |
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 Dayton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Dayton’s government
How much does Dayton spend per resident?
About $988 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $549 was less than 53% of 363 Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Dayton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $959 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.54% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see dayton.in.gov.
Who runs Dayton’s government?
See dayton.in.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dayton yet.
How many people work for Dayton?
1 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $24,764 (about $297,168 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Dayton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 22 (Ron Alting) and State House District 41 (Mark Genda). The House district also covers 28 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Dayton’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 →