Pavelka Farmstead · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0How is Bladen run?
Bladen’s village government spent $216,000 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $1,005 per resident. Water and other utilities ($80,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bladen is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $1,005 per resident a year, or $2.75 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 37%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,005 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Bladen’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,005 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 472 Nebraska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,038, and the middle half spent $774–$1,452. Bladen spent less than 54% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($65,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Nebraska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bladen itself left out).
No trend yet
Bladen reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $617 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.85% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bladen’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 Bladen’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bladen →
Who’s in charge in Bladen
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 215 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 (215).
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.
Silver Lake Public Schools
Bladen’s K–12 school district, shared with Campbell, Roseland, North Franklin Township, Holstein, Grant Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $26,796 per pupil, $14,324 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.
Nebraska districts overall: 56% local, 34% state, 10% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Bladen’s votes are counted by county
Nebraska reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Bladen alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Webster County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican82.2%1,449 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat16.8%296 votesOthers: 1.0% (18 votes).
Most votes in Webster County: Donald J Trump
Nebraska: Trump 59.3%, Harris 38.9%
100% of Bladen lies in Webster County. Every 2024 race in Webster County is on the county’s page.
Webster 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 Bladen.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Nebraska SenateState senator
- 3GovernorStatewide
- 4U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 5U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Nebraska
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Bladen’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Bladen’s government
How much does Bladen spend per resident?
About $1,005 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,005 was less than 54% of 472 Nebraska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bladen?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $617 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.85% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the village’s assessor.
Who runs Bladen’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bladen yet.
How did Bladen vote in 2024?
Nebraska counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Bladen alone. Webster County, where 100% of Bladen lies, voted Trump 82.2%, Harris 16.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bladen?
1 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $3,679 (about $44,148 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Bladen in the state legislature?
State Senate District 38 (Dave Murman). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bladen’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 →