Preston spent more per resident in 2022 than 79% of similar cities
Preston’s city government spent $122,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $824 per resident. Water and other utilities ($49,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Preston is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$824 per resident in 2022: more than 79% of them
Preston’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($824 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. Preston spent more than 79% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($49,000), 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; Preston itself left out).
About $824 per resident a year, or $2.26 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 40%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Preston reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $720 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Preston’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 Preston’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Preston →
Who’s in charge in Preston
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Pratt Unified School District 382
Preston’s K–12 school district, shared with Iuka, Pratt, Township 6, Township 12, Township 7. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,976 per pupil, $8,976 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.
Preston’s votes are counted by county
Kansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Preston alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Pratt County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican74.8%3,054 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat23.4%954 votesOthers: 1.8% (74 votes).
Most votes in Pratt County: Donald J Trump
Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
100% of Preston lies in Pratt County. Every 2024 race in Pratt County is on the county’s page.
Pratt County’s 2024 results →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 Preston.
- 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 Preston’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Preston’s government
How much does Preston spend per resident?
About $824 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 $824 was more than 79% of 252 Kansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Preston’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Preston yet.
How did Preston vote in 2024?
Kansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Preston alone. Pratt County, where 100% of Preston lies, voted Trump 74.8%, Harris 23.4% for president; its page has every race.
Who represents Preston in the state legislature?
State Senate District 33 (Tory Marie Blew) 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 Preston’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 →