How is Gower run?
Gower’s city government spent $536,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $369 per resident. Water and other utilities ($397,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Gower is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $369 per resident a year, or $1.01 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 84%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$369 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Gower’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($369 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 $313, and the middle half spent $137–$618. Gower spent more than 57% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($449,000), 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; Gower itself left out).
No trend yet
Gower reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,624 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.76% 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 Gower’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 Gower’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Gower →
Who’s in charge in Gower
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 242 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 (1,453).
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.
East Buchanan County C-1 School District
Gower’s K–12 school district, shared with Easton. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,757 per pupil, $7,075 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.
Gower’s votes are counted by county
Missouri reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Gower alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Clinton County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican73.3%8,235 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat25.4%2,855 votesOthers: 1.2% (140 votes).
Most votes in Clinton County: Donald J Trump
Missouri: Trump 58.5%, Harris 40.1%
98% of Gower lies in Clinton County; the rest in Buchanan County. Every 2024 race in Clinton County is on the county’s page.
Clinton 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 Gower.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Missouri HouseGower is split between 2 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.
Reach Gower’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Gower’s government
How much does Gower spend per resident?
About $369 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 $369 was more than 57% of 356 Missouri cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Gower?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,624 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.76% 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 Gower’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Gower yet.
How did Gower vote in 2024?
Missouri counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Gower alone. Clinton County, where 98% of Gower lies, voted Trump 73.3%, Harris 25.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Gower?
6 full-time and 10 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $31,433 (about $377,196 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Gower in the state legislature?
Gower is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Missouri Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 12 (Rusty Black). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Gower’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 →