Buffalo spent more per resident in 2022 than 68% of similar cities
Buffalo’s city government spent $144,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $702 per resident. Water and other utilities ($125,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Buffalo is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$702 per resident in 2022: more than 68% of them
Buffalo’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($702 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 $516, and the middle half spent $249–$751. Buffalo spent more than 68% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($64,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Kansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Buffalo itself left out).
About $702 per resident a year, or $1.92 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 44%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Buffalo reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $714 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.98% 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 Buffalo’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 Buffalo’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Buffalo →
Who’s in charge in Buffalo
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 205 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 (205).
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.
Altoona-Midway Unified School District 387
Buffalo’s K–12 school district, shared with Altoona, Colfax Township, Pleasant Valley Township, Chetopa Township, Cedar Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $23,831 per pupil, $15,014 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.
Buffalo’s votes are counted by county
Kansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Buffalo alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Wilson County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican80.3%2,894 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat18.0%647 votesOthers: 1.7% (62 votes).
Most votes in Wilson County: Donald J Trump
Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
100% of Buffalo lies in Wilson County. Every 2024 race in Wilson County is on the county’s page.
Wilson 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 Buffalo.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Buffalo’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Buffalo’s government
How much does Buffalo spend per resident?
About $702 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 $702 was more than 68% of 252 Kansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Buffalo?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $714 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.98% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Buffalo’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Buffalo yet.
How did Buffalo vote in 2024?
Kansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Buffalo alone. Wilson County, where 100% of Buffalo lies, voted Trump 80.3%, Harris 18.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Buffalo?
1 full-time and 10 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $4,177 (about $50,124 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Buffalo in the state legislature?
State Senate District 12 (Caryn Tyson) and State House District 13 (Duane Droge). The House district also covers 67 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Buffalo’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 →