How is Ashton run?
Ashton’s city government spent $76,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $623 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Ashton didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Ashton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Northwestern Area School District 56-7
Ashton’s K–12 school district, shared with Brentford, Chelsea, Conde, Cresbard, La Prairie Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,471 per pupil, $7,228 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.
About $623 per resident a year, or $1.71 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 59%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Ashton 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 Ashton yet
Every year of Ashton’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 $1,194 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.96% 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 Ashton’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 Ashton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Ashton →
Who’s in charge in Ashton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Ashton’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 Ashton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Spink County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican68.3%2,145 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat29.3%921 votesOthers: 2.3% (73 votes).
Most votes in Spink County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Ashton lies in Spink County. Every 2024 race in Spink County is on the county’s page.
Spink 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 Ashton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Ashton’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Ashton’s government
How much does Ashton spend per resident?
About $623 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Ashton didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $81,000.
What is the property tax rate in Ashton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,194 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.96% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Ashton’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ashton yet.
How did Ashton vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ashton alone. Spink County, where 100% of Ashton lies, voted Trump 68.3%, Harris 29.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Ashton?
0 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1,792 (about $21,504 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Ashton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 22 (Brandon Wipf) and State House District 22 (Kevin Van Diepen and Lana Greenfield). The House district also covers 96 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Ashton’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 Ashton, 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 →