Gray, William R., Photography Studio and Residence · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0How is St. John run?
St. John’s city government spent $1.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $897 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how St. John is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $897 per resident a year, or $2.46 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 24%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$579 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
St. John’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($579 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. St. John spent more than 56% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($131,000), 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; St. John itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 63% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years St. John 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: $579 · 2023: $897. Per resident it went from $579 to $897 (up 55%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,139 to 1,197.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,607 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.70% 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 St. John’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 St. John’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in St. John →
Who’s in charge in St. John
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
St. John’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on StJohnKansas.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 92 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 (1,197).
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.
St. John-Hudson Unified School District 350
St. John’s K–12 school district, shared with Hayes Township, Hudson, St. John Township, Rose Valley Township, South Seward Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,527 per pupil, $10,499 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.
St. John’s votes are counted by county
Kansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for St. John alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Stafford County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican81.1%1,548 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat17.1%326 votesOthers: 1.8% (35 votes).
Most votes in Stafford County: Donald J Trump
Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
100% of St. John lies in Stafford County. Every 2024 race in Stafford County is on the county’s page.
Stafford 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 St. John.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: StJohnKansas.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.
Reach St. John’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about St. John’s government
How much does St. John spend per resident?
About $897 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 $579 was more than 56% of 252 Kansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in St. John?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,607 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.70% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see StJohnKansas.com.
Who runs St. John’s government?
See StJohnKansas.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for St. John yet.
How did St. John vote in 2024?
Kansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for St. John alone. Stafford County, where 100% of St. John lies, voted Trump 81.1%, Harris 17.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for St. John?
13 full-time and 27 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $64,069 (about $768,828 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents St. John in the state legislature?
State Senate District 33 (Tory Marie Blew) and State House District 113 (Brett Fairchild). The House district also covers 91 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about St. John’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 →