Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0St. Paul spent less per resident in 2022 than 66% of similar cities
St. Paul’s town government spent $430,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $406 per resident. Water and other utilities ($81,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how St. Paul is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$406 per resident in 2022: less than 66% of them
St. Paul’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($406 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. St. Paul spent less than 66% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($186,000), 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; St. Paul itself left out).
About $406 per resident a year, or $1.11 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 43%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
St. Paul reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $658 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 St. Paul’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 St. Paul’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in St. Paul →
Who’s in charge in St. Paul
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
St. Paul’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on stpaulin.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 1,059 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 2022 finance file (1,059).
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.
Decatur County Community Schools
St. Paul’s K–12 school district, shared with Adams Township, Clay Township, Clinton Township, Fugit Township, Jackson Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,682 per pupil, $7,712 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.
Shelby Eastern Schools · $12,681 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for St. Paul.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: stpaulin.org ↗
- 2Indiana HouseState representatives
- 3Indiana SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Indiana
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach St. Paul’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about St. Paul’s government
How much does St. Paul spend per resident?
About $406 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 $406 was less than 66% of 363 Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in St. Paul?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $658 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 stpaulin.org.
Who runs St. Paul’s government?
See stpaulin.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for St. Paul yet.
How many people work for St. Paul?
1 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $21,818 (about $261,816 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents St. Paul in the state legislature?
State Senate District 42 (Jean Leising) and State House District 73 (Jenny Meltzer). The House district also covers 25 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about St. Paul’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 →