Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0How is St. James run?
St. James’ city government spent $4.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2024, about $1,065 per resident.
What stands out about how St. James is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
The typical homeowner pays $1,017 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.72% 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. James’ 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. James’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in St. James →
About $1,065 per resident a year, or $2.92 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$791 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
St. James’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($791 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 79 Missouri cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $778, and the middle half spent $510–$1,041. St. James spent more than 52% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.2 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; St. James itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 32% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years St. James 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: $791 · 2023: $823 · 2024: $1,065.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
Who’s in charge in St. James
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
St. James’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on stjamesmissouri.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 96 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 (3,929).
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.
St. James R-I School District
St. James’ K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,764 per pupil, $7,295 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.
St. James’ votes are counted by county
Missouri reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for St. James alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Phelps County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican70.8%13,658 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat27.9%5,379 votesOthers: 1.4% (263 votes).
Most votes in Phelps County: Donald J Trump
Missouri: Trump 58.5%, Harris 40.1%
100% of St. James lies in Phelps County. Every 2024 race in Phelps County is on the county’s page.
Phelps 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 St. James.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: stjamesmissouri.org ↗
- 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 St. James’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about St. James’ government
How much does St. James spend per resident?
About $1,065 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $791 was more than 52% of 79 Missouri cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in St. James?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,017 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.72% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see stjamesmissouri.org.
Who runs St. James’ government?
See stjamesmissouri.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for St. James yet.
How did St. James vote in 2024?
Missouri counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for St. James alone. Phelps County, where 100% of St. James lies, voted Trump 70.8%, Harris 27.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for St. James?
41 full-time and 16 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $162,982 (about $2.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents St. James in the state legislature?
State Senate District 16 (Justin Brown) and State House District 122 (Tara Peters). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about St. James’ 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 →