Unknown Confederate Soldier Monument in Horse Cave · Photo: The original uploader was Bedford at English Wikipedia. · Public domainHow is Horse Cave run?
Horse Cave’s city government spent $1.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $494 per resident.
What stands out about how Horse Cave is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Caverna Independent School District
Horse Cave’s K–12 school district, shared with Cave City. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,334 per pupil, $9,929 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.
Hart County School District · $13,163 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $494 per resident a year, or $1.35 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$494 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Horse Cave’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($494 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 $419, and the middle half spent $226–$721. Horse Cave spent more than 57% 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; Horse Cave itself left out).
No trend yet
Horse Cave reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $840 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.74% 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 Horse Cave’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 Horse Cave’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Horse Cave →
Who’s in charge in Horse Cave
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 186 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 (2,415).
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.
Horse Cave’s votes are counted by county
Kentucky reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Horse Cave alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Hart County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican79.6%6,691 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat19.5%1,642 votesOthers: 0.9% (76 votes).
Most votes in Hart County: Donald J Trump
Kentucky: Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.9%
100% of Horse Cave lies in Hart County. Every 2024 race in Hart County is on the county’s page.
Hart 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 Horse Cave.
- 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 Horse Cave’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Horse Cave’s government
How much does Horse Cave spend per resident?
About $494 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 $494 was more than 57% of 221 Kentucky cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Horse Cave?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $840 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.74% 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 Horse Cave’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Horse Cave yet.
How did Horse Cave vote in 2024?
Kentucky counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Horse Cave alone. Hart County, where 100% of Horse Cave lies, voted Trump 79.6%, Harris 19.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Horse Cave?
13 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $59,582 (about $714,984 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Horse Cave in the state legislature?
State Senate District 9 (David Givens) and State House District 24 (Ryan Bivens). The House district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Horse Cave’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 →