Atchinson Santa Fe Freight Depot · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0How is Atchison run?
Atchison’s city government spent $9.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $868 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Atchison is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $868 per resident a year, or $2.38 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,028 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Atchison’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,028 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 49 Kansas cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,012, and the middle half spent $786–$1,331. Atchison spent more than 53% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.3 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Kansas cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Atchison itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 13% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Atchison 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: $1,028 · 2023: $460 · 2024: $868.
full-time in March 2025, down from 111 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,029 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.56% of the home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Atchison’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 Atchison’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Atchison →
Who’s in charge in Atchison
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Atchison’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofatchison.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 104 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (10,730).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Atchison Public Schools Unified School District 409
Atchison’s K–12 school district, shared with Walnut Township, Shannon Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,690 per pupil, $9,093 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.
Kansas districts overall: 28% local, 61% state, 11% federal.
Atchison County Community Schools Unified School District 377 · $16,591 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Atchison voted in 2024
Official results for Atchison’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican60.4%2,406 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat37.4%1,490 votesOthers: 2.2% (88 votes).
Most votes in Atchison: Donald J Trump
Atchison County: Trump 67.7%, Harris 30.3% · Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
of Atchison’s 8,093 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Kansas: 62%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in the district: Derek Schmidt
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Atchison, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atchison | 60.4% | 37.4% | 2.2% | 3,984 |
| Atchison County | 67.7% | 30.3% | 2.0% | 7,255 |
| Kansas | 57.2% | 41.0% | 1.8% | 1,327,591 |
Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Atchison.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofatchison.com ↗
- 2Kansas HouseState representatives
- 3Kansas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kansas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Atchison compares with the towns next door
Atchison spent $1,028 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Shannon Township | estimate | $2,192 |
| Lancaster Township | estimate | $1,522 |
| Walnut Township | estimate | $1,553 |
| Mount Pleasant Township | estimate | $1,592 |
| Atchison | $1,028 | $2,029 |
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 Atchison’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Atchison’s government
How much does Atchison spend per resident?
About $868 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,028 was more than 53% of 49 Kansas cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Atchison?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,029 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.56% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofatchison.com.
Who runs Atchison’s government?
See cityofatchison.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Atchison yet.
How did Atchison vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 60.4%, Kamala D Harris 37.4% (3,984 votes, official results). Atchison County: Trump 67.7%, Harris 30.3%. Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%.
How many people work for Atchison?
103 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $478,841 (about $5.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Atchison in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Craig Bowser) and State House District 63 (Allen Reavis). The House district also covers 29 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Atchison’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 →