Lindenwood Neighborhood Historic District · Photo: Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0How is St. Charles run?
St. Charles’ city government spent $91.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,288 per resident. Water and other utilities ($10.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how St. Charles is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,288 per resident a year, or $3.53 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,093 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
St. Charles’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,093 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 16 Missouri cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,058, and the middle half spent $865–$1,204. St. Charles spent more than 56% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($10.8 million), 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 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; St. Charles itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 17% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years St. Charles 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: $1,093 · 2023: $1,185 · 2024: $1,288.
full-time in March 2025, up from 455 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,126 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.05% 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 St. Charles’ 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.
Tax bills are one input to St. Charles’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in St. Charles →
Who’s in charge in St. Charles
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
St. Charles’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on stcharlescity.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 140 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (71,184).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
St. Charles R-VI School District
St. Charles’ K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $19,064 per pupil, $10,808 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.
Orchard Farm R-V School District · $14,227 per pupil
Francis Howell R-III School District · $12,458 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
St. Charles’ votes are counted by county
Missouri reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for St. Charles alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are St. Charles County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican57.7%130,588 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat40.8%92,226 votesOthers: 1.5% (3,352 votes).
Most votes in St. Charles County: Donald J Trump
Missouri: Trump 58.5%, Harris 40.1%
100% of St. Charles lies in St. Charles County. Every 2024 race in St. Charles County is on the county’s page.
St. Charles 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
St. Charles sends 4 representatives to the Missouri House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: stcharlescity.com ↗
- 2Missouri HouseSt. Charles is split between 4 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.
How St. Charles compares with the towns next door
St. Charles spent $1,093 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,112 to $2,641. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| St. Peters | $1,112 | $3,207 |
| Bridgeton | $2,641 | $3,411 |
| St. Charles | $1,093 | $3,126 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach St. Charles’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about St. Charles’ government
How much does St. Charles spend per resident?
About $1,288 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,093 was more than 56% of 16 Missouri cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in St. Charles?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,126 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.05% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see stcharlescity.com.
Who runs St. Charles’ government?
See stcharlescity.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for St. Charles yet.
How did St. Charles vote in 2024?
Missouri counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for St. Charles alone. St. Charles County, where 100% of St. Charles lies, voted Trump 57.7%, Harris 40.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for St. Charles?
508 full-time and 92 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $5.2M (about $62.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents St. Charles in the state legislature?
St. Charles is split among 4 State House districts, so your address decides. The Missouri Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 23 (Adam Schnelting). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about St. Charles’ 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 →