Photo: formulanone from Huntsville, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Blue Rapids spent less per resident in 2022 than 98% of similar cities
Blue Rapids’ city government spent $50,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $52 per resident.
What stands out about how Blue Rapids is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$52 per resident in 2022: less than 98% of them
Blue Rapids’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($52 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 252 Kansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $518, and the middle half spent $259–$751. Blue Rapids spent less than 98% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Kansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Blue Rapids itself left out).
About $52 per resident a year, or $0.14 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 100%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Blue Rapids reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,313 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.92% 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 Blue Rapids’ 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 Blue Rapids’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Blue Rapids →
Who’s in charge in Blue Rapids
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Blue Rapids’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on bluerapids.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 120 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 (960).
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.
Valley Heights Unified School District 498
Blue Rapids’ K–12 school district, shared with Blue Rapids Township, Waterville, Waterville Township, Cottage Hill Township, Blue Rapids City Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,436 per pupil, $9,182 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Blue Rapids’ votes are counted by county
Kansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Blue Rapids alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Marshall County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican73.3%3,644 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat24.3%1,205 votesOthers: 2.4% (119 votes).
Most votes in Marshall County: Donald J Trump
Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
100% of Blue Rapids lies in Marshall County. Every 2024 race in Marshall County is on the county’s page.
Marshall County’s 2024 results →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 Blue Rapids.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: bluerapids.org ↗
- 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.
Reach Blue Rapids’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Blue Rapids’ government
How much does Blue Rapids spend per resident?
About $52 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 $52 was less than 98% of 252 Kansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Blue Rapids?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,313 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.92% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bluerapids.org.
Who runs Blue Rapids’ government?
See bluerapids.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Blue Rapids yet.
How did Blue Rapids vote in 2024?
Kansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Blue Rapids alone. Marshall County, where 100% of Blue Rapids lies, voted Trump 73.3%, Harris 24.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Blue Rapids?
8 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $28,055 (about $336,660 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Blue Rapids in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Craig Bowser) and State House District 106 (Lisa Moser). The House district also covers 130 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Blue Rapids’ 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 →