How is Baker Township run?
Baker Township’s town government spent $5,000 on day-to-day services in the year to February 28, 2022, about $23 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Baker Township didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Baker Township is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Lake Preston School District 38-3
Baker Township’s K–12 school district, shared with Erwin, Lake Preston, Hetland, Hartland Township, Whitewood Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,122 per pupil, $9,755 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 $23 per resident a year, or $0.06 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: fire, at 100%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Baker Township 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 Baker Township yet
Every year of Baker Township’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the town 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 $3,188 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.34% 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 Baker Township’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 Baker Township’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Baker Township →
Who’s in charge in Baker Township
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Baker Township’s votes are counted by county
South Dakota reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Baker Township alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Kingsbury County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican71.0%1,989 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat27.1%760 votesOthers: 1.9% (52 votes).
Most votes in Kingsbury County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Baker Township lies in Kingsbury County. Every 2024 race in Kingsbury County is on the county’s page.
Kingsbury 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 Baker Township.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal 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.
How Baker Township compares with the towns next door
Baker Township’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 2 of the 6 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $439 to $660 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Spring Lake Township | $439 | $1,917 |
| Denver Township | $660 | $2,850 |
| Whitewood Township | estimate | $1,333 |
| De Smet Township | estimate | $2,028 |
| Hartland Township | estimate | $1,667 |
| Mathews Township | estimate | — |
| Baker Township | estimate | $3,188 |
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 Baker Township’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Baker Township’s government
How much does Baker Township spend per resident?
About $23 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to February 28, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Baker Township didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $117,000.
What is the property tax rate in Baker Township?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,188 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.34% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Baker Township’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Baker Township yet.
How did Baker Township vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Baker Township alone. Kingsbury County, where 100% of Baker Township lies, voted Trump 71.0%, Harris 27.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Baker Township?
0 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $784 (about $9,408 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Baker Township in the state legislature?
State Senate District 8 (Casey Crabtree) and State House District 8 (Tim Reisch and Tim Walburg). The House district also covers 85 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Baker Township’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 Baker Township, 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 →