Photo: AllenS · Public domainElephant Butte runs its own hospital
Elephant Butte’s city government spent $1.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $1,233 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Elephant Butte didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Elephant Butte is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,233 per resident a year, or $3.38 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 45%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Elephant Butte didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Elephant Butte yet
Every year of Elephant Butte’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $910 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.51% of the home’s value, vs 0.70% across New Mexico.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Elephant Butte’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 Elephant Butte’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Elephant Butte →
Who’s in charge in Elephant Butte
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Elephant Butte’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofelephantbutte.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 1,320 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
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 (1,320).
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.
Truth or Consequences Schools
Elephant Butte’s K–12 school district, shared with Truth or Consequences, Williamsburg. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $21,272 per pupil, $12,294 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.
New Mexico districts overall: 17% local, 64% state, 20% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Elephant Butte’s votes are counted by county
New Mexico reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Elephant Butte alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Sierra County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.2%3,473 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.7%2,332 votesOthers: 1.1% (62 votes).
Most votes in Sierra County: Donald J Trump
New Mexico: Harris 51.9%, Trump 45.9%
100% of Elephant Butte lies in Sierra County. Every 2024 race in Sierra County is on the county’s page.
Sierra 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 Elephant Butte.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofelephantbutte.com ↗
- 2New Mexico HouseState representatives
- 3New Mexico SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Mexico
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Elephant Butte compares with the towns next door
Elephant Butte’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 1 of the 1 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $1,927 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Truth or Consequences | $1,927 | $718 |
| Elephant Butte | estimate | $910 |
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 Elephant Butte’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Elephant Butte’s government
How much does Elephant Butte spend per resident?
About $1,233 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Elephant Butte didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $2.9 million.
What is the property tax rate in Elephant Butte?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $910 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.51% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.70% across New Mexico. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofelephantbutte.com.
Who runs Elephant Butte’s government?
See cityofelephantbutte.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Elephant Butte yet.
How did Elephant Butte vote in 2024?
New Mexico counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Elephant Butte alone. Sierra County, where 100% of Elephant Butte lies, voted Trump 59.2%, Harris 39.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Elephant Butte?
1 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022 (plus 0 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $4,914 (about $58,968 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Elephant Butte in the state legislature?
State Senate District 35 (Crystal Brantley) and State House District 38 (Rebecca Dow). The House district also covers parts of five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Elephant Butte’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 (for Elephant Butte, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →