Photo: Quentin Melson · CC BY-SA 4.0Shoals spent more per resident in 2022 than 69% of similar cities
Shoals’ town government spent $692,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $886 per resident. Water and other utilities ($121,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Shoals is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$886 per resident in 2022: more than 69% of them
Shoals’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($886 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. Shoals spent more than 69% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($108,000), 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; Shoals itself left out).
About $886 per resident a year, or $2.43 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 55%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Shoals reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $736 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.49% 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 Shoals’ 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 Shoals’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Shoals →
Who’s in charge in Shoals
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Shoals’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on townofshoals.com/lander ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 65 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (781).
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.
Shoals Community School Corporation
Shoals’ K–12 school district, shared with Center Township, Halbert Township, Lost River Township, Mitcheltree Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,211 per pupil, $7,466 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 Shoals.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: townofshoals.com/lander ↗
- 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 Shoals compares with the towns next door
Shoals spent $886 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Center Township | $20 | $742 |
| Halbert Township | $23 | $688 |
| Shoals | $886 | $736 |
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 Shoals’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Shoals’ government
How much does Shoals spend per resident?
About $886 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 $886 was more than 69% of 363 Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Shoals?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $736 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.49% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see townofshoals.com/lander.
Who runs Shoals’ government?
See townofshoals.com/lander for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Shoals yet.
How many people work for Shoals?
12 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $62,332 (about $747,984 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Shoals in the state legislature?
State Senate District 39 (Eric Bassler) and State House District 63 (Shane Lindauer). The House district also covers 32 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Shoals’ 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 →