Karnes Stone Barn · Photo: SharonPapierdreams · CC BY-SA 4.0In Elk Township, 75% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Kansas
Elk Township’s town government spent $148,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $81 per resident.
What stands out about how Elk Township is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$81 per resident in 2022: less than 71% of them
Elk Township’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($81 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 394 Kansas towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $184, and the middle half spent $65–$457. Elk Township spent less than 71% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Kansas towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Elk Township itself left out).
About $81 per resident a year, or $0.22 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 81%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Elk Township reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $2,657 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.80% 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 Elk Township’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 Elk Township’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Elk Township →
Who’s in charge in Elk Township
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 1,828 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 2022 finance file (1,828).
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.
Santa Fe Trail Unified School District 434
Elk Township’s K–12 school district, shared with Carbondale, Overbrook, Scranton, Ridgeway Township, Scranton Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,165 per pupil, $8,569 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.
Shawnee Heights Unified School District 450 · $13,277 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Elk Township voted in 2024
Official results for Elk Township’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican70.9%714 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat26.7%269 votesOthers: 2.4% (24 votes).
Most votes in Elk Township: Donald J Trump
Osage County: Trump 72.7%, Harris 24.7% · Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
of Elk Township’s 1,346 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: Derek Schmidt
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Elk Township, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk Township | 70.9% | 26.7% | 2.4% | 1,007 |
| Osage County | 72.7% | 24.7% | 2.7% | 7,892 |
| 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 Elk Township.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal 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.
How Elk Township compares with the towns next door
Elk Township spent $81 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $29 to $507. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Fairfax Township | $29 | $3,556 |
| Ridgeway Township | $105 | $2,350 |
| Monmouth Township | $157 | $3,737 |
| Junction Township | $194 | $2,725 |
| Marion Township | $507 | $4,027 |
| Elk Township | $81 | $2,657 |
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 Elk Township’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Elk Township’s government
How much does Elk Township spend per resident?
About $81 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 $81 was less than 71% of 394 Kansas towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Elk Township?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,657 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.80% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Elk Township’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Elk Township yet.
How did Elk Township vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 70.9%, Kamala D Harris 26.7% (1,007 votes, official results). Osage County: Trump 72.7%, Harris 24.7%. Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%.
How many people work for Elk Township?
1 full-time and 3 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $4,110 (about $49,320 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Elk Township in the state legislature?
State Senate District 3 (Rick Kloos) and State House District 54 (Ken Corbet). The House district also covers 20 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Elk Township’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 →