Bethany Congregational Church · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainWest Terre Haute spent more per resident in 2022 than 70% of similar cities
West Terre Haute’s town government spent $2.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,369 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how West Terre Haute is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$907 per resident in 2022: more than 70% of them
West Terre Haute’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($907 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. West Terre Haute spent more than 70% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($897,000), 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; West Terre Haute itself left out).
About $1,369 per resident a year, or $3.75 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 24%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 47% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years West Terre Haute 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: $907 · 2023: $1,369.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $899 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.21% 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 West Terre Haute’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 West Terre Haute’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in West Terre Haute →
Who’s in charge in West Terre Haute
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 153 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 (2,144).
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.
Vigo County School Corporation
West Terre Haute’s K–12 school district, shared with Fayette Township, Harrison Township, Honey Creek Township, Linton Township, Lost Creek Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,304 per pupil, $7,142 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 West Terre Haute.
- 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 West Terre Haute’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about West Terre Haute’s government
How much does West Terre Haute spend per resident?
About $1,369 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 $907 was more than 70% of 363 Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in West Terre Haute?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $899 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.21% 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 West Terre Haute’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for West Terre Haute yet.
How many people work for West Terre Haute?
14 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $64,119 (about $769,428 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents West Terre Haute in the state legislature?
State Senate District 38 (Greg Goode) and State House District 43 (Tonya Pfaff). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about West Terre Haute’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 →