Valley Falls spent more per resident in 2022 than 78% of similar cities
Valley Falls’ city government spent $945,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $820 per resident. Water and other utilities ($232,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Valley Falls is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$820 per resident in 2022: more than 78% of them
Valley Falls’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($820 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. Valley Falls spent more than 78% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($324,000), 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; Valley Falls itself left out).
About $820 per resident a year, or $2.25 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 34%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Valley Falls reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, down from 27 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $2,275 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.85% 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 Valley Falls’ 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 Valley Falls’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Valley Falls →
Who’s in charge in Valley Falls
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 128 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,152).
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.
Valley Falls Unified School District 338
Valley Falls’ K–12 school district, shared with Delaware Township, Ozawkie Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,974 per pupil, $10,008 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.
Valley Falls’ votes are counted by county
Kansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Valley Falls alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Jefferson County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican67.4%6,694 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat30.5%3,030 votesOthers: 2.0% (203 votes).
Most votes in Jefferson County: Donald J Trump
Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
100% of Valley Falls lies in Jefferson County. Every 2024 race in Jefferson County is on the county’s page.
Jefferson 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 Valley Falls.
- 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 Valley Falls’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Valley Falls’ government
How much does Valley Falls spend per resident?
About $820 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 $820 was more than 78% of 252 Kansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Valley Falls?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,275 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.85% 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 Valley Falls’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Valley Falls yet.
How did Valley Falls vote in 2024?
Kansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Valley Falls alone. Jefferson County, where 100% of Valley Falls lies, voted Trump 67.4%, Harris 30.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Valley Falls?
9 full-time and 4 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $29,132 (about $349,584 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Valley Falls in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Craig Bowser) and State House District 47 (Ronald Ellis). The House district also covers 25 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Valley Falls’ 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 →