Photo: JonHarder · CC BY-SA 3.0In Hesston, 71% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Kansas
Hesston’s city government spent $2.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $822 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Hesston is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $822 per resident a year, or $2.25 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison for Hesston yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample). Hesston’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported 46% of its 2022 dollars), so it has no like-for-like peer figure. It reported 2024; the next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →Day-to-day spending is up 193% since 2023
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Hesston reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2023: $282 · 2024: $822.
full-time in March 2025, up from 33 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 $3,311 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.62% 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 Hesston’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 Hesston’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Hesston →
Who’s in charge in Hesston
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Hesston’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on hesstonks.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 97 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (3,503).
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.
Hesston Unified School District 460
Hesston’s K–12 school district, shared with Emma Township, Highland Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,120 per pupil, $7,762 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.
How Hesston voted in 2024
Official results for Hesston’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican58.9%1,140 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.2%758 votesOthers: 1.9% (37 votes).
Most votes in Hesston: Donald J Trump
Harvey County: Trump 59.6%, Harris 38.6% · Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
of Hesston’s 2,738 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: Ron Estes
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Hesston, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hesston | 58.9% | 39.2% | 1.9% | 1,935 |
| Harvey County | 59.6% | 38.6% | 1.8% | 16,086 |
| 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 Hesston.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: hesstonks.org ↗
- 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 Hesston’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Hesston’s government
How much does Hesston spend per resident?
About $822 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Hesston?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,311 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.62% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see hesstonks.org.
Who runs Hesston’s government?
See hesstonks.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Hesston yet.
How did Hesston vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 58.9%, Kamala D Harris 39.2% (1,935 votes, official results). Harvey County: Trump 59.6%, Harris 38.6%. Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%.
How many people work for Hesston?
36 full-time and 37 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $218,762 (about $2.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Hesston in the state legislature?
State Senate District 31 (Stephen Owens) and State House District 74 (Mike King). The House district also covers 37 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Hesston’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 →