Photo: Drowzy at English Wikipedia · Public domainHow is Cape Girardeau run?
Cape Girardeau’s city government spent $46.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,162 per resident. Water and other utilities ($6.8 million) and the airport ($2.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Cape Girardeau is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,162 per resident a year, or $3.18 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$953 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Cape Girardeau’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($953 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 40 Missouri cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $959, and the middle half spent $666–$1,134. Cape Girardeau spent less than 52% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($13.2 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Missouri cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Cape Girardeau itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 18% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Cape Girardeau 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: $953 · 2023: $1,278 · 2024: $1,162.
full-time in March 2025, up from 393 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,380 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.70% of the home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Cape Girardeau’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.
Tax bills are one input to Cape Girardeau’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Cape Girardeau →
Who’s in charge in Cape Girardeau
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Cape Girardeau’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofcapegirardeau.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 100 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (40,377).
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.
Cape Girardeau 63 School District
Cape Girardeau’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,839 per pupil, $7,270 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.
Missouri districts overall: 54% local, 35% state, 11% federal.
Jackson R-II School District · $10,350 per pupil
Scott City R-I School District · $11,930 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Cape Girardeau’s votes are counted by county
Missouri reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cape Girardeau alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cape Girardeau County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican72.6%29,315 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat26.2%10,561 votesOthers: 1.2% (477 votes).
Most votes in Cape Girardeau County: Donald J Trump
Missouri: Trump 58.5%, Harris 40.1%
100% of Cape Girardeau lies in Cape Girardeau County; the rest in Scott County. Every 2024 race in Cape Girardeau County is on the county’s page.
Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofcapegirardeau.org ↗
- 2Missouri HouseCape Girardeau is split between 3 districts
- 3Missouri SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Missouri
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Cape Girardeau compares with the towns next door
Cape Girardeau spent $953 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Jackson | estimate | $1,622 |
| Scott City | estimate | $769 |
| Cape Girardeau | $953 | $1,380 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Cape Girardeau’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Cape Girardeau’s government
How much does Cape Girardeau spend per resident?
About $1,162 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 $953 was less than 52% of 40 Missouri cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Cape Girardeau?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,380 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.70% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofcapegirardeau.org.
Who runs Cape Girardeau’s government?
See cityofcapegirardeau.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Cape Girardeau yet.
How did Cape Girardeau vote in 2024?
Missouri counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cape Girardeau alone. Cape Girardeau County, where 100% of Cape Girardeau lies, voted Trump 72.6%, Harris 26.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Cape Girardeau?
402 full-time and 173 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.1M (about $24.9M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Cape Girardeau in the state legislature?
Cape Girardeau is split among 3 State House districts, so your address decides. The Missouri Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 27 (Jamie Burger). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Cape Girardeau’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 →