Photo: Nyttend · Public domainHow is Dawson Springs run?
Dawson Springs’ city government spent $1.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $597 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($934,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Dawson Springs is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $597 per resident a year, or $1.64 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$597 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Dawson Springs’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($597 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 85 Kentucky cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $695, and the middle half spent $519–$1,027. Dawson Springs spent less than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($345,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Kentucky cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Dawson Springs itself left out).
No trend yet
Dawson Springs reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2024 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $708 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.01% 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 Dawson Springs’ 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 Dawson Springs’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dawson Springs →
Who’s in charge in Dawson Springs
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 155 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (2,629).
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.
Dawson Springs Independent School District
Dawson Springs’ K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,563 per pupil, $7,437 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.
Dawson Springs’ votes are counted by county
Kentucky reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dawson Springs alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Hopkins County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican74.8%15,361 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat23.9%4,916 votesOthers: 1.3% (260 votes).
Most votes in Hopkins County: Donald J Trump
Kentucky: Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.9%
100% of Dawson Springs lies in Hopkins County; the rest in Caldwell County. Every 2024 race in Hopkins County is on the county’s page.
Hopkins 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 Dawson Springs.
- 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 Dawson Springs’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Dawson Springs’ government
How much does Dawson Springs spend per resident?
About $597 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $597 was less than 62% of 85 Kentucky cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Dawson Springs?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $708 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.01% 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 Dawson Springs’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dawson Springs yet.
How did Dawson Springs vote in 2024?
Kentucky counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dawson Springs alone. Hopkins County, where 100% of Dawson Springs lies, voted Trump 74.8%, Harris 23.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Dawson Springs?
17 full-time and 15 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $82,587 (about $991,044 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Dawson Springs in the state legislature?
State Senate District 4 (Robby Mills) and State House District 4 (Wade Williams). The House district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Dawson Springs’ 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 →