Photo: CommunicationsDeSoto · CC BY-SA 4.0In De Soto, 74% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Kansas
De Soto’s city government spent $6.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $978 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: De Soto didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how De Soto is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $978 per resident a year, or $2.68 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 39%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
De Soto didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for De Soto yet
Every year of De Soto’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. 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 $5,552 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.31% 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 De Soto’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 De Soto’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in De Soto →
Who’s in charge in De Soto
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
De Soto’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on desotoks.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 282 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 2024 finance file (6,478).
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.
De Soto Unified School District 232
De Soto’s K–12 school district, shared with Lexington Township, Shawnee. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,922 per pupil, $8,224 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.
Gardner Edgerton Unified School District 231 · $13,601 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How De Soto voted in 2024
Official results for De Soto’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.3%1,965 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.1%1,297 votesOthers: 1.6% (52 votes).
Most votes in De Soto: Donald J Trump
Johnson County: Harris 53.4%, Trump 44.9% · Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
of De Soto’s 4,468 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: Sharice Davids
Whole-district result
President, 2024: De Soto, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| De Soto | 59.3% | 39.1% | 1.6% | 3,314 |
| Johnson County | 44.9% | 53.4% | 1.8% | 343,780 |
| 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 De Soto.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: desotoks.us ↗
- 2Kansas HouseDe Soto is split between 2 districts
- 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 De Soto compares with the towns next door
De Soto’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 2 of the 5 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $34 to $1,353 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Sherman Township | $34 | $3,837 |
| Lenexa | $1,353 | $4,611 |
| Lexington Township | estimate | $5,823 |
| Olathe | estimate | $4,273 |
| Shawnee | estimate | $4,105 |
| De Soto | estimate | $5,552 |
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 De Soto’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about De Soto’s government
How much does De Soto spend per resident?
About $978 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (De Soto didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $8.3 million.
What is the property tax rate in De Soto?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,552 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.31% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see desotoks.us.
Who runs De Soto’s government?
See desotoks.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for De Soto yet.
How did De Soto vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 59.3%, Kamala D Harris 39.1% (3,314 votes, official results). Johnson County: Harris 53.4%, Trump 44.9%. Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%.
How many people work for De Soto?
23 full-time and 10 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $154,992 (about $1.9M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents De Soto in the state legislature?
De Soto is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Kansas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 9 (Beverly Gossage). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about De Soto’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 De Soto, 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 →