Lathrop spent more per resident in 2022 than 76% of similar cities
Lathrop’s city government spent $3.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,389 per resident. Water and other utilities ($210,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Lathrop is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$627 per resident in 2022: more than 76% of them
Lathrop’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($627 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–$614. Lathrop spent more than 76% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($629,000), 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; Lathrop itself left out).
About $1,389 per resident a year, or $3.81 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 10%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 148% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Lathrop 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: $627 · 2024: $1,389. Per resident it went from $627 to $1,389 (up 122%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 2,019 to 2,265.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,478 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.88% 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 Lathrop’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 Lathrop’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lathrop →
Who’s in charge in Lathrop
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Lathrop’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityoflathropmo.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 283 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (2,265).
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.
Lathrop R-II School District
Lathrop’s K–12 school district, shared with Turney. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,696 per pupil, $7,456 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.
Lathrop’s votes are counted by county
Missouri reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lathrop 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%
100% of Lathrop lies in Clinton 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 Lathrop.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityoflathropmo.com ↗
- 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 Lathrop’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Lathrop’s government
How much does Lathrop spend per resident?
About $1,389 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 $627 was more than 76% of 356 Missouri cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Lathrop?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,478 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.88% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityoflathropmo.com.
Who runs Lathrop’s government?
See cityoflathropmo.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lathrop yet.
How did Lathrop vote in 2024?
Missouri counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lathrop alone. Clinton County, where 100% of Lathrop lies, voted Trump 73.3%, Harris 25.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Lathrop?
8 full-time and 9 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $31,185 (about $374,220 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Lathrop in the state legislature?
State Senate District 12 (Rusty Black) and State House District 8 (Josh Hurlbert). The House district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lathrop’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 →