Syracuse spent less per resident in 2022 than 66% of similar cities
Syracuse’s city government spent $1.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $870 per resident.
What stands out about how Syracuse is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$870 per resident in 2022: less than 66% of them
Syracuse’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($870 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. Syracuse spent less than 66% of 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; Syracuse itself left out).
About $870 per resident a year, or $2.38 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 35%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Syracuse reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $2,423 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.18% 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 Syracuse’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 Syracuse’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Syracuse →
Who’s in charge in Syracuse
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 162 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 (1,949).
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.
Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca Schools
Syracuse’s K–12 school district, shared with Avoca, Dunbar, Otoe, Unadilla. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,519 per pupil, $9,360 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.
Syracuse’s votes are counted by county
Nebraska reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Syracuse alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Otoe County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican68.9%5,651 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat30.0%2,463 votesOthers: 1.0% (84 votes).
Most votes in Otoe County: Donald J Trump
Nebraska: Trump 59.3%, Harris 38.9%
100% of Syracuse lies in Otoe County. Every 2024 race in Otoe County is on the county’s page.
Otoe 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 Syracuse.
- 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 Syracuse’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Syracuse’s government
How much does Syracuse spend per resident?
About $870 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 $870 was less than 66% of 472 Nebraska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Syracuse?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,423 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.18% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Syracuse’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Syracuse yet.
How did Syracuse vote in 2024?
Nebraska counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Syracuse alone. Otoe County, where 100% of Syracuse lies, voted Trump 68.9%, Harris 30.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Syracuse?
12 full-time and 21 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $70,292 (about $843,504 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Syracuse in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Bob Hallstrom). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Syracuse’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 →