Hendee Hotel · Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainCozad spent more per resident in 2022 than 72% of similar cities
Cozad’s city government spent $7.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,887 per resident. Water and other utilities ($5.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Cozad is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,715 per resident in 2022: more than 72% of them
Cozad’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,715 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 32 Nebraska cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,335, and the middle half spent $1,096–$1,810. Cozad spent more than 72% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.3 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 →
Nebraska cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Cozad itself left out).
About $1,887 per resident a year, or $5.17 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: housing & development, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 15% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Cozad 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: $1,715 · 2023: $1,803 · 2024: $1,887. Per resident it went from $1,715 to $1,887 (up 10%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 3,715 to 3,890.
full-time in March 2025, down from 39 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,880 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.55% 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 Cozad’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 Cozad’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Cozad →
Who’s in charge in Cozad
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Cozad’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cozadnebraska.net ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 102 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (3,890).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Cozad Community Schools
Cozad’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,306 per pupil, $9,017 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.
Cozad’s votes are counted by county
Nebraska reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cozad alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Dawson County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican74.3%6,312 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat24.7%2,101 votesOthers: 0.9% (78 votes).
Most votes in Dawson County: Donald J Trump
Nebraska: Trump 59.3%, Harris 38.9%
100% of Cozad lies in Dawson County. Every 2024 race in Dawson County is on the county’s page.
Dawson 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 Cozad.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cozadnebraska.net ↗
- 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 Cozad’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Cozad’s government
How much does Cozad spend per resident?
About $1,887 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,715 was more than 72% of 32 Nebraska cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Cozad?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,880 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.55% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cozadnebraska.net.
Who runs Cozad’s government?
See cozadnebraska.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Cozad yet.
How did Cozad vote in 2024?
Nebraska counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cozad alone. Dawson County, where 100% of Cozad lies, voted Trump 74.3%, Harris 24.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Cozad?
38 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $222,716 (about $2.7M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Cozad in the state legislature?
State Senate District 44 (Teresa Ibach). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Cozad’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 →