Ernst Schowengerdt House · Photo: JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Warrenton run?
Warrenton’s city government spent $4.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $458 per resident. Water and other utilities ($519,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Warrenton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $458 per resident a year, or $1.25 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 31%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$762 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Warrenton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($762 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 $510–$1,041. Warrenton spent less than 53% 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; Warrenton itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 38% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Warrenton 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: $762 · 2024: $458.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,660 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.81% 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 Warrenton’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 Warrenton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Warrenton →
Who’s in charge in Warrenton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Warrenton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on warrenton-mo.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 133 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 (9,176).
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.
Warren County R-III School District
Warrenton’s K–12 school district, shared with Pendleton, Truesdale. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,995 per pupil, $6,447 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.
Warrenton’s votes are counted by county
Missouri reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Warrenton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Warren County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican74.2%14,915 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat24.7%4,970 votesOthers: 1.0% (210 votes).
Most votes in Warren County: Donald J Trump
Missouri: Trump 58.5%, Harris 40.1%
100% of Warrenton lies in Warren County. Every 2024 race in Warren County is on the county’s page.
Warren 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 Warrenton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: warrenton-mo.org ↗
- 2Missouri HouseState representatives
- 3Missouri SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Missouri
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Warrenton compares with the towns next door
Warrenton spent $762 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $100 to $588. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Pendleton | $100 | — |
| Wright City | $588 | $1,887 |
| Truesdale | estimate | $1,807 |
| Warrenton | $762 | $1,660 |
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 Warrenton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Warrenton’s government
How much does Warrenton spend per resident?
About $458 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 $762 was less than 53% of 79 Missouri cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Warrenton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,660 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.81% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see warrenton-mo.org.
Who runs Warrenton’s government?
See warrenton-mo.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Warrenton yet.
How did Warrenton vote in 2024?
Missouri counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Warrenton alone. Warren County, where 100% of Warrenton lies, voted Trump 74.2%, Harris 24.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Warrenton?
69 full-time and 20 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $306,955 (about $3.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Warrenton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 26 (Ben Brown) and State House District 42 (Jeff Myers). The House district also covers 11 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Warrenton’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 →