Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Depot · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0How is Beresford run?
Beresford’s city government spent $3.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,448 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Beresford didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Beresford is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Beresford School District 61-2
Beresford’s K–12 school district, shared with Pleasant Township, Prairie Township, Garfield Township, Emmet Township, Glenwood Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,173 per pupil, $8,071 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 $1,448 per resident a year, or $3.97 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Beresford didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Beresford yet
Every year of Beresford’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, down from 29 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $2,313 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.99% 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 Beresford’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 Beresford’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Beresford →
Who’s in charge in Beresford
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Beresford’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on beresfordsd.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 76 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 (2,129).
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.
Beresford’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 Beresford 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%
83% of Beresford lies in Union County; the rest in Lincoln 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 Beresford.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: beresfordsd.com ↗
- 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 Beresford compares with the towns next door
Beresford’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 1 of the 2 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $296 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Township | $296 | $1,258 |
| Prairie Township | estimate | — |
| Beresford | estimate | $2,313 |
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 Beresford’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Beresford’s government
How much does Beresford spend per resident?
About $1,448 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Beresford didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $4.4 million.
What is the property tax rate in Beresford?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,313 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.99% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see beresfordsd.com.
Who runs Beresford’s government?
See beresfordsd.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Beresford yet.
How did Beresford vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Beresford alone. Union County, where 83% of Beresford lies, voted Trump 69.4%, Harris 28.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Beresford?
28 full-time and 20 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $197,139 (about $2.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Beresford 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 Beresford’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 Beresford, 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 →