How is Union Star run?
Union Star’s city government spent $166,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $400 per resident. Water and other utilities ($76,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Union Star is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $400 per resident a year, or $1.10 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 42%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$400 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Union Star’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($400 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. Union Star spent more than 59% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($70,000), 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; Union Star itself left out).
No trend yet
Union Star reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,009 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.95% 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 Union Star’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 Union Star’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Union Star →
Who’s in charge in Union Star
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 415 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (415).
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.
Union Star R-II School District
Union Star’s K–12 school district, shared with Polk Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,191 per pupil, $9,759 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.
Union Star’s votes are counted by county
Missouri reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Union Star alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are DeKalb County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican80.7%3,885 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat18.1%870 votesOthers: 1.2% (59 votes).
Most votes in DeKalb County: Donald J Trump
Missouri: Trump 58.5%, Harris 40.1%
100% of Union Star lies in DeKalb County. Every 2024 race in DeKalb County is on the county’s page.
DeKalb 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 Union Star.
- 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.
How Union Star compares with the towns next door
Union Star spent $400 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Polk Township | estimate | $1,091 |
| Union Star | $400 | $1,009 |
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 Union Star’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Union Star’s government
How much does Union Star spend per resident?
About $400 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $400 was more than 59% of 356 Missouri cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Union Star?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,009 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.95% 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 Union Star’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Union Star yet.
How did Union Star vote in 2024?
Missouri counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Union Star alone. DeKalb County, where 100% of Union Star lies, voted Trump 80.7%, Harris 18.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Union Star?
1 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $3,447 (about $41,364 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Union Star in the state legislature?
State Senate District 12 (Rusty Black) and State House District 9 (Dean VanSchoiack). The House district also covers 25 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Union Star’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 →