Photo: Srudisell · CC BY-SA 4.0Topeka spent more per resident in 2022 than 90% of similar cities
Topeka’s city government spent $136.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,092 per resident. Water and other utilities ($52.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Topeka is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,261 per resident in 2022: more than 90% of them
Topeka’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,261 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 307 Kansas cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $613, and the middle half spent $300–$903. Topeka spent more than 90% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($29.1 million), 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 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Topeka itself left out).
About $1,092 per resident a year, or $2.99 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 31%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 13% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Topeka 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: $1,261 · 2023: $1,396 · 2024: $1,092.
full-time in March 2025, up from 1,102 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 $2,132 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.48% 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 Topeka’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 Topeka’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Topeka →
Who’s in charge in Topeka
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Topeka’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on topeka.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 110 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 (125,449).
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.
Topeka Public Schools Unified School District 501
Topeka’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,981 per pupil, $9,204 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.
Auburn-Washburn Unified School District 437 · $13,052 per pupil
Seaman Unified School District 345 · $13,307 per pupil
Shawnee Heights Unified School District 450 · $13,277 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Topeka’s votes are counted by county
Kansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Topeka alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Shawnee County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat49.3%40,291 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican48.8%39,874 votesOthers: 2.0% (1,610 votes).
Most votes in Shawnee County: Kamala D Harris
Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
100% of Topeka lies in Shawnee County. Every 2024 race in Shawnee County is on the county’s page.
Shawnee 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
Topeka sends 8 representatives to the Kansas House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: topeka.org ↗
- 2Kansas HouseTopeka is split between 8 districts
- 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 Topeka compares with the towns next door
No neighbor is close in size, so the comparison above uses Kansas cities that don’t run their own schools. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Tecumseh Township | $205 | $3,505 |
| Menoken Township | $207 | $4,017 |
| Mission Township | $244 | $4,092 |
| Williamsport Township | $259 | $1,952 |
| Soldier Township | $601 | $3,223 |
| Topeka Township | estimate | $4,029 |
| Topeka | $1,261 | $2,132 |
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 Topeka’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Topeka’s government
How much does Topeka spend per resident?
About $1,092 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,261 was more than 90% of 307 Kansas cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Topeka?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,132 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.48% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see topeka.org.
Who runs Topeka’s government?
See topeka.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Topeka yet.
How did Topeka vote in 2024?
Kansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Topeka alone. Shawnee County, where 100% of Topeka lies, voted Harris 49.3%, Trump 48.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Topeka?
1,137 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $7.6M (about $91.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Topeka in the state legislature?
Topeka is split among 8 State House districts and 4 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Kansas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Topeka’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 →