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Town Hall · Empire Township

How is Empire Township run?

Empire Township’s town government spent $192,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $143 per resident.

Day-to-day spending, 2022
$192,000
year to December 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$143
In 2022: $143, less than 59% of 394 similar towns
Long-term debt
Not reported
end of 2022, reported
Town staff, 2022
1
full-time · 3 part-time · March payroll $5,766 · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$3,278
1.51% of home value · KS 1.29%

What stands out about how Empire Township is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

The school district

Canton-Galva Unified School District 419

Empire Township’s K–12 school district, shared with Canton, Canton Township, Galva, Battle Hill Township, Delmore Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Empire Township →
$14,967
per pupil · KS $14,966
366
students
$5.5 million
long-term debt

Of the $14,967 per pupil, $8,956 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 34%State 60%Federal 6%

Kansas districts overall: 28% local, 61% state, 11% federal.

Also serving Empire Township

McPherson Unified School District 418 · $19,856 per pupil

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $143 per resident a year, or $0.39 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 68%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 100%

Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Empire Township collects property taxes for the school district and county and passes them on, so only its own spending is counted.

About “Other”.26% of Empire Township’s day-to-day spending ($50,000) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places

$143 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns

Empire Township’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($143 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. Empire Township spent less than 59% of them.

Middle half of the group, $65–$457Median $184Empire Township

Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
394

Kansas towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Empire Township itself left out).

Over the years

No trend yet

Empire Township reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $3,278 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.51% of the home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Lone Tree Township$4,435
Empire Township$3,278
McPherson Township$2,951
Kansas$2,798
Canton Township$2,176
$3,278
typical bill a year
1.51%
effective rate
$216,600
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Empire 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 Empire Township’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Empire Township →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Empire Township

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

Check Empire Township’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Empire Township yet.
Who works for Empire Township

One full-time town employee for every 1,347 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 (1,347).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Administration & buildings0 + 3 pt
Roads & transportation1
1
full-time
3
part-time
$5,766
payroll for March 2022
$69,192
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$59,800
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Estimates.Empire Township didn’t report its staff figures; these are the Census Bureau’s estimates, so they aren’t compared with other towns.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

Elections · 2024 general election

How Empire Township voted in 2024

Official results for Empire Township’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.

President580 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican84.7%491 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat13.6%79 votes

Others: 1.7% (10 votes).

Most votes in Empire Township: Donald J Trump

McPherson County: Trump 69.6%, Harris 28.5% · Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%

Turnout
53%

of Empire Township’s 1,086 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Kansas: 62%.

Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).

U.S. House · Kansas’s 1st District304,458 votes
Tracey MannRepublican69.1%
Paul BuskirkDemocrat30.9%

Most votes in the district: Tracey Mann

Whole-district result

President, 2024: Empire Township, its county and the state

TrumpHarrisOthersVotes
Empire Township84.7%13.6%1.7%580
McPherson County69.6%28.5%1.9%14,104
Kansas57.2%41.0%1.8%1,327,591
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Empire Township

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Empire Township.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Kansas HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Kansas SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kansas

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Empire Township compares with the towns next door

Empire Township spent $143 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $532 to $752. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
McPherson Township$532$2,951
Delmore Township$752—
Lone Tree Townshipestimate$4,435
Canton Townshipestimate$2,176
Empire Township$143$3,278

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 Empire Township’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Empire Township’s government

How much does Empire Township spend per resident?

About $143 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 $143 was less than 59% of 394 Kansas towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Empire Township?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,278 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.51% 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 Empire Township’s government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Empire Township yet.

How did Empire Township vote in 2024?

For president, Donald J Trump 84.7%, Kamala D Harris 13.6% (580 votes, official results). McPherson County: Trump 69.6%, Harris 28.5%. Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%.

How many people work for Empire Township?

1 full-time and 3 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $5,766 (about $69,192 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Empire Township in the state legislature?

State Senate District 14 (Mike Fagg) and State House District 73 (Rick Wilborn). The House district also covers 20 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Empire Township’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →