Bank of Oberlin · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Oberlin spent more per resident in 2022 than 92% of similar cities
Oberlin’s city government spent $2.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,281 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2 million) and the airport ($84,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Oberlin is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,127 per resident in 2022: more than 92% of them
Oberlin’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,127 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–$749. Oberlin spent more than 92% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($361,000), 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; Oberlin itself left out).
About $1,281 per resident a year, or $3.51 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 12% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Oberlin 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: $1,127 · 2023: $1,281.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,789 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.02% 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 Oberlin’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 Oberlin’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Oberlin →
Who’s in charge in Oberlin
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Oberlin’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on OberlinKS.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 86 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (1,639).
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.
Oberlin Unified School District 294
Oberlin’s K–12 school district, shared with Altory Township, Bassettville Township, Beaver Township, Center Township, Custer Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,510 per pupil, $9,239 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 Oberlin voted in 2024
Official results for Oberlin’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican81.2%630 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat17.1%133 votesOthers: 1.7% (13 votes).
Most votes in Oberlin: Donald J Trump
Decatur County: Trump 83.8%, Harris 14.8% · Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
of Oberlin’s 1,345 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: Oberlin, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oberlin | 81.2% | 17.1% | 1.7% | 776 |
| Decatur County | 83.8% | 14.8% | 1.4% | 1,452 |
| 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 Oberlin.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: OberlinKS.com ↗
- 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 Oberlin compares with the towns next door
Oberlin spent $1,127 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Liberty Township | estimate | — |
| Center Township | estimate | — |
| Oberlin Township | estimate | — |
| Oberlin | $1,127 | $1,789 |
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 Oberlin’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Oberlin’s government
How much does Oberlin spend per resident?
About $1,281 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 $1,127 was more than 92% of 252 Kansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Oberlin?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,789 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.02% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see OberlinKS.com.
Who runs Oberlin’s government?
See OberlinKS.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Oberlin yet.
How did Oberlin vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 81.2%, Kamala D Harris 17.1% (776 votes, official results). Decatur County: Trump 83.8%, Harris 14.8%. Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%.
How many people work for Oberlin?
19 full-time and 28 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $82,219 (about $986,628 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Oberlin in the state legislature?
State Senate District 40 (Rick Billinger) and State House District 120 (Adam Smith). The House district also covers 86 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Oberlin’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 →