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Downtown Fairfax, Missouri in 2019Photo: Grey Wanderer · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Fairfax

Fairfax spent less per resident in 2022 than 81% of similar cities

Fairfax’s city government spent $57,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $100 per resident. Water and other utilities ($153,000) are counted separately.

Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Missouri.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$57,000
year to December 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$100
In 2022: $100, less than 81% of 356 similar cities
Long-term debt
$770,000
end of 2022, reported
City staff, 2022
3
full-time · 1 part-time · March payroll $8,949
Typical tax bill
$759
0.84% of home value · MO 0.85%

What stands out about how Fairfax is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

Spends less than most similar citiesIn 2022: $100 per resident, less than 81% of 356 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer73% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2022).Lower tax billsThe typical bill is $759 a year: 0.84% of the home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri.
Compared with similar places

$100 per resident in 2022: less than 81% of them

Fairfax’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($100 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 $139–$618. Fairfax spent less than 81% of them.

Middle half of the group, $139–$618Median $322Fairfax

Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
356

Missouri cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Fairfax itself left out).

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $100 per resident a year, or $0.27 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: fire, at 33%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 47%Sales taxes 15%Property taxes 14%From the federal government 10%Fees & charges 8%From the state 5%
Not in the receipt.Interest on debt $31,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $241,000.
About “Other”.40% of Fairfax’s day-to-day spending ($23,000) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Over the years

No trend yet

Fairfax reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $759 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.84% of the home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Missouri$1,948
Fairfax$759
$759
typical bill a year
0.84%
effective rate
$90,500
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Fairfax’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 Fairfax’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Fairfax →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Fairfax

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

Check Fairfax’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Fairfax yet.
Who works for Fairfax

One full-time city employee for every 189 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 (568).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Administration & buildings1 + 1 pt
Roads & transportation1
Water & other utilities1
3
full-time
1
part-time
$8,949
payroll for March 2022
$107,388
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$34,200
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Fairfax had 5.3 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 277 of the 356 Missouri cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 3.6: Fairfax had more than 62% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Fairfax R-III School District

Fairfax’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Fairfax →
$16,587
per pupil · MO $14,569
143
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $16,587 per pupil, $10,329 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 67%State 28%Federal 5%

Missouri districts overall: 54% local, 35% state, 11% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Fairfax’s votes are counted by county

Missouri reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fairfax alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Atchison County’s results.

President · Atchison County’s results2,713 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican79.3%2,152 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat19.5%529 votes

Others: 1.2% (32 votes).

Most votes in Atchison County: Donald J Trump

Missouri: Trump 58.5%, Harris 40.1%

The county’s page

100% of Fairfax lies in Atchison County. Every 2024 race in Atchison County is on the county’s page.

Atchison County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Fairfax

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Fairfax.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Missouri HouseState representatives
    Jeff Farnan
  3. 3
    Missouri SenateState senator
    Rusty Black
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Mike Kehoe
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Sam Graves
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Missouri
    Josh HawleyEric Schmitt

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Fairfax’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Fairfax’s government

How much does Fairfax spend per resident?

About $100 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $100 was less than 81% of 356 Missouri cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Fairfax?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $759 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.84% 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 Fairfax’s government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Fairfax yet.

How did Fairfax vote in 2024?

Missouri counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fairfax alone. Atchison County, where 100% of Fairfax lies, voted Trump 79.3%, Harris 19.5% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Fairfax?

3 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $8,949 (about $107,388 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Fairfax in the state legislature?

State Senate District 12 (Rusty Black) and State House District 1 (Jeff Farnan). The House district also covers 57 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Fairfax’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →