Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0How is Essex run?
Essex’s city government spent $106,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $237 per resident. Water and other utilities ($100,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Essex is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $237 per resident a year, or $0.65 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 94%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$237 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Essex’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($237 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 356 Missouri cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $322, and the middle half spent $137–$618. Essex spent less than 60% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($100,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Missouri cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Essex itself left out).
No trend yet
Essex reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,076 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.99% 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 Essex’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 Essex’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Essex →
Who’s in charge in Essex
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 224 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 (447).
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.
Richland R-I School District
Essex’s K–12 school district, shared with Penermon, Richland Township, Elk Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,654 per pupil, $8,867 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Essex’s votes are counted by county
Missouri reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Essex alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Stoddard County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican86.6%11,783 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat12.8%1,736 votesOthers: 0.6% (80 votes).
Most votes in Stoddard County: Donald J Trump
Missouri: Trump 58.5%, Harris 40.1%
100% of Essex lies in Stoddard County. Every 2024 race in Stoddard County is on the county’s page.
Stoddard 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 Essex.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Missouri HouseState representatives
- 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.
Reach Essex’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Essex’s government
How much does Essex spend per resident?
About $237 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 $237 was less than 60% of 356 Missouri cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Essex?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,076 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.99% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Essex’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Essex yet.
How did Essex vote in 2024?
Missouri counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Essex alone. Stoddard County, where 100% of Essex lies, voted Trump 86.6%, Harris 12.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Essex?
2 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $5,642 (about $67,704 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Essex in the state legislature?
State Senate District 25 (Jason Bean) and State House District 151 (Steve Jordan). The House district also covers 21 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Essex’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 →