Hyden House · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Alcester spent more per resident in 2022 than 87% of similar cities
Alcester’s city government spent $157,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $199 per resident.
What stands out about how Alcester is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,512 per resident in 2022: more than 87% of them
Alcester’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,512 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 124 South Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $747, and the middle half spent $370–$1,166. Alcester spent more than 87% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($231,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
South Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Alcester itself left out).
About $199 per resident a year, or $0.55 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 64%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 86% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Alcester 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: $1,512 · 2024: $199.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,726 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.37% of the home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Alcester’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 Alcester’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Alcester →
Who’s in charge in Alcester
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Alcester’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on alcestersd.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 112 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 2024 finance file (787).
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.
Alcester-Hudson School District 61-1
Alcester’s K–12 school district, shared with Hudson, Virginia Township, Alcester Township, Eden Township, Big Springs Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,249 per pupil, $7,388 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.
South Dakota districts overall: 50% local, 31% state, 19% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Alcester’s votes are counted by county
South Dakota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Alcester alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Union County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.4%6,160 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat28.7%2,548 votesOthers: 1.9% (168 votes).
Most votes in Union County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Alcester lies in Union County. Every 2024 race in Union County is on the county’s page.
Union 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 Alcester.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: alcestersd.org ↗
- 2South Dakota HouseState representatives
- 3South Dakota SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of South Dakota
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Alcester’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Alcester’s government
How much does Alcester spend per resident?
About $199 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,512 was more than 87% of 124 South Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Alcester?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,726 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.37% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see alcestersd.org.
Who runs Alcester’s government?
See alcestersd.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Alcester yet.
How did Alcester vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Alcester alone. Union County, where 100% of Alcester lies, voted Trump 69.4%, Harris 28.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Alcester?
7 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $26,623 (about $319,476 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Alcester in the state legislature?
State Senate District 16 (Kevin Jensen) and State House District 16 (John Shubeck and Karla Lems). The House district also covers 54 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Alcester’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 →