Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0New Palestine spent less per resident in 2022 than 70% of similar cities
New Palestine’s town government spent $3.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,150 per resident.
What stands out about how New Palestine is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$831 per resident in 2022: less than 70% of them
New Palestine’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($831 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 89 Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,139, and the middle half spent $754–$1,490. New Palestine spent less than 70% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($780,000), 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; New Palestine itself left out).
About $1,150 per resident a year, or $3.15 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 49% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years New Palestine 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: $831 · 2023: $1,150. Per resident it went from $831 to $1,150 (up 38%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 2,656 to 2,857.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,612 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.73% 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 New Palestine’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.
Tax bills are one input to New Palestine’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in New Palestine →
Who’s in charge in New Palestine
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 190 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 (2,857).
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.
New Palestine Community Schools
New Palestine’s K–12 school district, shared with Brandywine Township, Spring Lake, Sugar Creek Township, Cumberland. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,861 per pupil, $6,174 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 New Palestine.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal 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.
Reach New Palestine’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about New Palestine’s government
How much does New Palestine spend per resident?
About $1,150 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 $831 was less than 70% of 89 Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in New Palestine?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,612 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.73% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs New Palestine’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for New Palestine yet.
How many people work for New Palestine?
15 full-time and 3 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $73,787 (about $885,444 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents New Palestine in the state legislature?
State Senate District 28 (Michael Crider) and State House District 53 (Ethan Lawson). The House district also covers 15 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about New Palestine’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 →