Photo: Art davis · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Burden run?
Burden’s city government spent $382,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $725 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Burden didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Burden is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $725 per resident a year, or $1.99 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Burden didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Burden yet
Every year of Burden’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,404 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.40% 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 Burden’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 Burden’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Burden →
Who’s in charge in Burden
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 105 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 (527).
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.
Central Unified School District 462
Burden’s K–12 school district, shared with Atlanta, Cambridge, Grenola, Harvey Township, Omnia Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,977 per pupil, $9,980 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.
Burden’s votes are counted by county
Kansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Burden alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cowley County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.3%9,360 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat29.0%3,919 votesOthers: 1.7% (226 votes).
Most votes in Cowley County: Donald J Trump
Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
100% of Burden lies in Cowley County. Every 2024 race in Cowley County is on the county’s page.
Cowley 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 Burden.
- 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 Burden’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Burden’s government
How much does Burden spend per resident?
About $725 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Burden didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $690,000.
What is the property tax rate in Burden?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,404 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.40% 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 Burden’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Burden yet.
How did Burden vote in 2024?
Kansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Burden alone. Cowley County, where 100% of Burden lies, voted Trump 69.3%, Harris 29.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Burden?
5 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $15,344 (about $184,128 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Burden in the state legislature?
State Senate District 32 (Larry Alley) and State House District 12 (Doug Blex). The House district also covers 70 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Burden’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 (for Burden, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →