Photo: Paul Sableman · CC BY 2.0Barlow spent less per resident in 2022 than 66% of similar cities
Barlow’s city government spent $266,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $413 per resident. Water and other utilities ($544,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Barlow is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$307 per resident in 2022: less than 66% of them
Barlow’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($307 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 221 Kentucky cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $425, and the middle half spent $226–$721. Barlow spent less than 66% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Kentucky cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Barlow itself left out).
About $413 per resident a year, or $1.13 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 50%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 38% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Barlow 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: $307 · 2024: $413.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $861 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.26% of the home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Barlow’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 Barlow’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Barlow →
Who’s in charge in Barlow
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 129 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (644).
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.
Ballard County School District
Barlow’s K–12 school district, shared with Blandville, La Center, Wickliffe, Kevil. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,370 per pupil, $7,449 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.
Kentucky districts overall: 37% local, 46% state, 17% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Barlow’s votes are counted by county
Kentucky reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Barlow alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Ballard County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican81.5%3,331 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat17.0%697 votesOthers: 1.5% (60 votes).
Most votes in Ballard County: Donald J Trump
Kentucky: Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.9%
100% of Barlow lies in Ballard County. Every 2024 race in Ballard County is on the county’s page.
Ballard 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 Barlow.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Kentucky HouseState representatives
- 3Kentucky SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kentucky
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Barlow’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Barlow’s government
How much does Barlow spend per resident?
About $413 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $307 was less than 66% of 221 Kentucky cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Barlow?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $861 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.26% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Barlow’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Barlow yet.
How did Barlow vote in 2024?
Kentucky counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Barlow alone. Ballard County, where 100% of Barlow lies, voted Trump 81.5%, Harris 17.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Barlow?
5 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $16,723 (about $200,676 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Barlow in the state legislature?
State Senate District 2 (Danny Carroll) and State House District 1 (Steven Rudy). The House district also covers 11 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Barlow’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 →