F. M. Walcott House · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Valentine spent more per resident in 2022 than 75% of similar cities
Valentine’s city government spent $8.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $3,289 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.7 million) and the airport ($626,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Valentine is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,808 per resident in 2022: more than 75% of them
Valentine’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,808 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–$1,740. Valentine spent more than 75% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($945,000), 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Valentine itself left out).
About $3,289 per resident a year, or $9.01 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 47%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 73% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Valentine 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: $1,808 · 2023: $2,854 · 2024: $3,289. Per resident it went from $1,808 to $3,289 (up 82%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 2,745 to 2,607.
full-time in March 2025, the same as 28 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 $1,398 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.94% 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 Valentine’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 Valentine’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Valentine →
Who’s in charge in Valentine
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Valentine’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on valentinene.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 93 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 (2,607).
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.
Valentine Community Schools
Valentine’s K–12 school district, shared with Crookston, Wood Lake. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $21,111 per pupil, $12,648 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.
Valentine’s votes are counted by county
Nebraska reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Valentine alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cherry County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican87.6%2,687 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat11.4%349 votesOthers: 1.1% (33 votes).
Most votes in Cherry County: Donald J Trump
Nebraska: Trump 59.3%, Harris 38.9%
100% of Valentine lies in Cherry County. Every 2024 race in Cherry County is on the county’s page.
Cherry 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 Valentine.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: valentinene.gov ↗
- 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 Valentine’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Valentine’s government
How much does Valentine spend per resident?
About $3,289 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 $1,808 was more than 75% of 32 Nebraska cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Valentine?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,398 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.94% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see valentinene.gov.
Who runs Valentine’s government?
See valentinene.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Valentine yet.
How did Valentine vote in 2024?
Nebraska counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Valentine alone. Cherry County, where 100% of Valentine lies, voted Trump 87.6%, Harris 11.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Valentine?
28 full-time and 19 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $172,883 (about $2.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Valentine in the state legislature?
State Senate District 43 (Tanya Storer). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Valentine’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 →