Photo: James Brosher · CC BY-SA 4.0Dunkirk spent more per resident in 2022 than 75% of similar cities
Dunkirk’s city government spent $2.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $956 per resident. Water and other utilities ($282,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Dunkirk is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$956 per resident in 2022: more than 75% of them
Dunkirk’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($956 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. Dunkirk spent more than 75% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($555,000), 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; Dunkirk itself left out).
About $956 per resident a year, or $2.62 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Dunkirk reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, down from 19 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $477 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.59% 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 Dunkirk’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 Dunkirk’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dunkirk →
Who’s in charge in Dunkirk
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 125 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (2,249).
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.
Jay School Corporation
Dunkirk’s K–12 school district, shared with Bearcreek Township, Bryant, Greene Township, Jackson Township, Jefferson Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,097 per pupil, $7,147 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.
Blackford County Schools · $13,509 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Dunkirk.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Dunkirk compares with the towns next door
Dunkirk spent $956 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Niles Township | $15 | $1,520 |
| Jackson Township | $56 | $900 |
| Richland Township | estimate | $543 |
| Dunkirk | $956 | $477 |
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 Dunkirk’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Dunkirk’s government
How much does Dunkirk spend per resident?
About $956 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $956 was more than 75% of 363 Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Dunkirk?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $477 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.59% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Dunkirk’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dunkirk yet.
How many people work for Dunkirk?
18 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $72,308 (about $867,696 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Dunkirk in the state legislature?
State Senate District 19 (Travis Holdman) and State House District 33 (J.D. Prescott). The House district also covers 47 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Dunkirk’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 →