Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0Vandalia spent less per resident in 2022 than 89% of similar cities
Vandalia’s city government spent $0 on day-to-day services in the year to February 28, 2024, about $0 per resident.
What stands out about how Vandalia is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$415 per resident in 2022: less than 89% of them
Vandalia’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($415 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 $780, and the middle half spent $534–$1,041. Vandalia spent less than 89% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($251,000), 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Vandalia itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 100% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Vandalia 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: $415 · 2024: $0.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $733 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.87% 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 Vandalia’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.
Tax bills are one input to Vandalia’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Vandalia →
Who’s in charge in Vandalia
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 157 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 (2,974).
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.
Van-Far R-I School District
Vandalia’s K–12 school district, shared with Farber. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,575 per pupil, $7,265 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.
Vandalia’s votes are counted by county
Missouri reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Vandalia alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Audrain County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican73.2%7,699 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat25.5%2,688 votesOthers: 1.3% (136 votes).
Most votes in Audrain County: Donald J Trump
Missouri: Trump 58.5%, Harris 40.1%
100% of Vandalia lies in Audrain County; the rest in Ralls County. Every 2024 race in Audrain County is on the county’s page.
Audrain 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 Vandalia.
- 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 Vandalia’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Vandalia’s government
How much does Vandalia spend per resident?
About $0 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to February 28, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $415 was less than 89% of 79 Missouri cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Vandalia?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $733 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.87% 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 Vandalia’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Vandalia yet.
How did Vandalia vote in 2024?
Missouri counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Vandalia alone. Audrain County, where 100% of Vandalia lies, voted Trump 73.2%, Harris 25.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Vandalia?
19 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $63,646 (about $763,752 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Vandalia in the state legislature?
State Senate District 18 (Cindy O'Laughlin) and State House District 43 (Kent Haden). The House district also covers 14 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Vandalia’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 →