Photo: Bradleygee · CC BY-SA 2.0Belle Fourche spent more per resident in 2022 than 86% of similar cities
Belle Fourche’s city government spent $10.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,806 per resident. The airport ($149,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Belle Fourche is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,582 per resident in 2022: more than 86% of them
Belle Fourche’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,582 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 147 South Dakota cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $819, and the middle half spent $428–$1,288. Belle Fourche spent more than 86% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.7 million), 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Belle Fourche itself left out).
About $1,806 per resident a year, or $4.95 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 16% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Belle Fourche 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: $1,582 · 2023: $1,958 · 2024: $1,806.
full-time in March 2025, up from 64 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,266 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.02% 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 Belle Fourche’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.
Tax bills are one input to Belle Fourche’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Belle Fourche →
Who’s in charge in Belle Fourche
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Belle Fourche’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on bellefourche.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 86 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (5,848).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Belle Fourche School District 09-1
Belle Fourche’s K–12 school district, shared with Fruitdale, St. Onge Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,481 per pupil, $6,775 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.
Belle Fourche’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 Belle Fourche alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Butte County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican79.2%4,024 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat18.5%942 votesOthers: 2.3% (116 votes).
Most votes in Butte County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Belle Fourche lies in Butte County. Every 2024 race in Butte County is on the county’s page.
Butte 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 Belle Fourche.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: bellefourche.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 Belle Fourche’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Belle Fourche’s government
How much does Belle Fourche spend per resident?
About $1,806 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 $1,582 was more than 86% of 147 South Dakota cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Belle Fourche?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,266 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.02% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bellefourche.org.
Who runs Belle Fourche’s government?
See bellefourche.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Belle Fourche yet.
How did Belle Fourche vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Belle Fourche alone. Butte County, where 100% of Belle Fourche lies, voted Trump 79.2%, Harris 18.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Belle Fourche?
68 full-time and 46 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $422,890 (about $5.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Belle Fourche in the state legislature?
State Senate District 28 (Sam Marty) and State House District 28B (Travis Ismay). The House district also covers 24 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Belle Fourche’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 →