Photo: Chris Light at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Ferdinand spent more per resident in 2022 than 79% of similar cities
Ferdinand’s town government spent $4.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,863 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Ferdinand is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$1,086 per resident in 2022: more than 79% of them
Ferdinand’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,086 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–$960. Ferdinand spent more than 79% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($422,000), 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; Ferdinand itself left out).
About $1,863 per resident a year, or $5.10 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 68% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Ferdinand 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: $1,086 · 2023: $1,863.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,392 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.74% 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 Ferdinand’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 Ferdinand’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Ferdinand →
Who’s in charge in Ferdinand
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Ferdinand’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on ferdinandindiana.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 96 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 (2,204).
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.
Southeast Dubois County School Corporation
Ferdinand’s K–12 school district, shared with Birdseye, Ferdinand Township, Jackson Township, Jefferson Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,023 per pupil, $6,574 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 Ferdinand.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: ferdinandindiana.org ↗
- 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.
Reach Ferdinand’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Ferdinand’s government
How much does Ferdinand spend per resident?
About $1,863 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,086 was more than 79% of 363 Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Ferdinand?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,392 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.74% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ferdinandindiana.org.
Who runs Ferdinand’s government?
See ferdinandindiana.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ferdinand yet.
How many people work for Ferdinand?
23 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $106,208 (about $1.3M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Ferdinand in the state legislature?
State Senate District 48 (Daryl Schmitt) and State House District 74 (Steve Bartels). The House district also covers 51 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Ferdinand’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 →