How is Nickerson run?
Nickerson’s city government spent $583,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $594 per resident. Water and other utilities ($211,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Nickerson is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $594 per resident a year, or $1.63 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 53%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$594 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Nickerson’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($594 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 252 Kansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $516, and the middle half spent $249–$751. Nickerson spent more than 57% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($257,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Nickerson itself left out).
No trend yet
Nickerson reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,456 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.84% 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 Nickerson’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 Nickerson’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Nickerson →
Who’s in charge in Nickerson
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 196 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (982).
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.
Nickerson Unified School District 309
Nickerson’s K–12 school district, shared with South Hutchinson, The Highlands, Willowbrook, Grant Township, Salt Creek Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,145 per pupil, $9,852 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 Nickerson voted in 2024
Official results for Nickerson’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican73.8%304 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat24.0%99 votesOthers: 2.2% (9 votes).
Most votes in Nickerson: Donald J Trump
Reno County: Trump 66.2%, Harris 31.8% · Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
of Nickerson’s 699 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: Tracey Mann
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Nickerson, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickerson | 73.8% | 24.0% | 2.2% | 412 |
| Reno County | 66.2% | 31.8% | 2.0% | 26,940 |
| 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 Nickerson.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal 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.
Reach Nickerson’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Nickerson’s government
How much does Nickerson spend per resident?
About $594 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 $594 was more than 57% of 252 Kansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Nickerson?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,456 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.84% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Nickerson’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Nickerson yet.
How did Nickerson vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 73.8%, Kamala D Harris 24.0% (412 votes, official results). Reno County: Trump 66.2%, Harris 31.8%. Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%.
How many people work for Nickerson?
5 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $20,474 (about $245,688 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Nickerson in the state legislature?
State Senate District 34 (Mike Murphy) and State House District 114 (Kevin Schwertfeger). The House district also covers 73 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Nickerson’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 →