Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0How is Rochester run?
Rochester’s city government spent $8,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $54 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Rochester didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Rochester is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Butler County School District
Rochester’s K–12 school district, shared with Morgantown, Woodbury. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,181 per pupil, $7,430 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.
About $54 per resident a year, or $0.15 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 88%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Rochester didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Rochester yet
Every year of Rochester’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $790 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.47% 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 Rochester’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 Rochester’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Rochester →
Who’s in charge in Rochester
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Rochester’s votes are counted by county
Kentucky reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Rochester alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Butler County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican82.5%4,905 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat16.2%965 votesOthers: 1.2% (73 votes).
Most votes in Butler County: Donald J Trump
Kentucky: Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.9%
100% of Rochester lies in Butler County. Every 2024 race in Butler County is on the county’s page.
Butler 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 Rochester.
- 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 Rochester’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Rochester’s government
How much does Rochester spend per resident?
About $54 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Rochester didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $38,000.
What is the property tax rate in Rochester?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $790 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.47% 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 Rochester’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Rochester yet.
How did Rochester vote in 2024?
Kentucky counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Rochester alone. Butler County, where 100% of Rochester lies, voted Trump 82.5%, Harris 16.2% for president; its page has every race.
Who represents Rochester in the state legislature?
State Senate District 5 (Steve Meredith) and State House District 15 (Rebecca Raymer). The House district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Rochester’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 (for Rochester, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →