How is Houstonia run?
Houstonia’s city government spent $28,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $141 per resident. Water and other utilities ($30,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Houstonia is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $141 per resident a year, or $0.39 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 68%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$305 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Houstonia’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($305 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. Houstonia spent less than 51% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($23,000), 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; Houstonia itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 59% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Houstonia 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: $305 · 2023: $141. Per resident it went from $305 to $141 (down 54%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 223 to 198.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $572 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Houstonia’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 Houstonia’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Houstonia →
Who’s in charge in Houstonia
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Pettis County R-V School District
Houstonia’s K–12 school district, shared with Hughesville. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,155 per pupil, $7,128 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.
Houstonia’s votes are counted by county
Missouri reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Houstonia alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Pettis County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican73.7%13,907 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat24.9%4,703 votesOthers: 1.4% (272 votes).
Most votes in Pettis County: Donald J Trump
Missouri: Trump 58.5%, Harris 40.1%
100% of Houstonia lies in Pettis County. Every 2024 race in Pettis County is on the county’s page.
Pettis 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 Houstonia.
- 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 Houstonia’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Houstonia’s government
How much does Houstonia spend per resident?
About $141 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $305 was less than 51% of 356 Missouri cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Houstonia’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Houstonia yet.
How did Houstonia vote in 2024?
Missouri counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Houstonia alone. Pettis County, where 100% of Houstonia lies, voted Trump 73.7%, Harris 24.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Houstonia?
0 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1,430 (about $17,160 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Houstonia in the state legislature?
State Senate District 28 (Sandy Crawford) and State House District 52 (Brad Pollitt). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Houstonia’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 →