Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Buffalo run?
Buffalo’s town government spent $737,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $583 per resident. Water and other utilities ($202,000) and the airport ($15,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Buffalo is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $583 per resident a year, or $1.60 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$583 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Buffalo’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($583 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 181 Oklahoma cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $678, and the middle half spent $497–$902. Buffalo spent less than 63% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($197,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Oklahoma cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Buffalo itself left out).
No trend yet
Buffalo reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $607 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.69% of the home’s value, vs 0.80% across Oklahoma.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Buffalo’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 Buffalo’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Buffalo →
Who’s in charge in Buffalo
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Buffalo’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on buffalooklahoma.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 158 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 (1,265).
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.
Buffalo Public Schools
Buffalo’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,566 per pupil, $9,667 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.
Oklahoma districts overall: 42% local, 45% state, 14% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Buffalo’s votes are counted by county
Oklahoma reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Buffalo alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Harper County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican88.5%1,284 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat10.1%147 votesOthers: 1.4% (20 votes).
Most votes in Harper County: Donald J Trump
Oklahoma: Trump 66.2%, Harris 31.9%
100% of Buffalo lies in Harper County. Every 2024 race in Harper County is on the county’s page.
Harper 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 Buffalo.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: buffalooklahoma.org ↗
- 2Oklahoma HouseState representatives
- 3Oklahoma SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Oklahoma
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Buffalo’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Buffalo’s government
How much does Buffalo spend per resident?
About $583 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $583 was less than 63% of 181 Oklahoma cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Buffalo?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $607 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.69% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.80% across Oklahoma. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see buffalooklahoma.org.
Who runs Buffalo’s government?
See buffalooklahoma.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Buffalo yet.
How did Buffalo vote in 2024?
Oklahoma counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Buffalo alone. Harper County, where 100% of Buffalo lies, voted Trump 88.5%, Harris 10.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Buffalo?
8 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $31,549 (about $378,588 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Buffalo in the state legislature?
State Senate District 27 (Casey Murdock) and State House District 61 (Kenton Patzkowsky). The House district also covers 22 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Buffalo’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 →