Photo: Gerald B. Keane · Public domainDodge City spent less per resident in 2022 than 80% of similar cities
Dodge City’s city government spent $18.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $682 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($5.6 million) and the airport ($301,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Dodge City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$669 per resident in 2022: less than 80% of them
Dodge City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($669 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 20 Kansas cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,100, and the middle half spent $899–$1,392. Dodge City spent less than 80% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($6.2 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 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Dodge City itself left out).
About $682 per resident a year, or $1.87 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 6% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Dodge City 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: $669 · 2023: $682.
full-time in March 2025, up from 185 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 $2,199 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.45% 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 Dodge City’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 Dodge City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dodge City →
Who’s in charge in Dodge City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Dodge City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on dodgecity.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 129 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (27,690).
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.
Dodge City Unified School District 443
Dodge City’s K–12 school district, shared with Dodge Township, Grandview Township, Richland Township, Royal Township, Enterprise Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,355 per pupil, $7,621 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.
Dodge City’s votes are counted by county
Kansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dodge City alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Ford County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican68.3%5,616 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat29.9%2,461 votesOthers: 1.8% (147 votes).
Most votes in Ford County: Donald J Trump
Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
100% of Dodge City lies in Ford County. Every 2024 race in Ford County is on the county’s page.
Ford 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 Dodge City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: dodgecity.org ↗
- 2Kansas HouseDodge City 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 Dodge City compares with the towns next door
Dodge City spent $669 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $171. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Dodge Township | $171 | $2,748 |
| Richland Township | estimate | $3,417 |
| Grandview Township | estimate | $3,125 |
| Dodge City | $669 | $2,199 |
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 Dodge City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Dodge City’s government
How much does Dodge City spend per resident?
About $682 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $669 was less than 80% of 20 Kansas cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Dodge City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,199 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.45% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see dodgecity.org.
Who runs Dodge City’s government?
See dodgecity.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dodge City yet.
How did Dodge City vote in 2024?
Kansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dodge City alone. Ford County, where 100% of Dodge City lies, voted Trump 68.3%, Harris 29.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Dodge City?
214 full-time and 19 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.1M (about $13.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Dodge City in the state legislature?
Dodge City is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Kansas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 38 (Ron Ryckman). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Dodge City’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 →