Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Big Stone City run?
Big Stone City’s city government spent $752,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,843 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Big Stone City didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Big Stone City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,843 per resident a year, or $5.05 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Big Stone City 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 Big Stone City yet
Every year of Big Stone City’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, the same as 6 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $1,195 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.79% 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 Big Stone City’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 Big Stone City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Big Stone City →
Who’s in charge in Big Stone City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 68 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (408).
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.
Big Stone City School District 25-1
Big Stone City’s K–12 school district, shared with Lockwood Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $19,959 per pupil, $10,671 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.
Big Stone City’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 Big Stone City alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Grant County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican71.5%2,594 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat26.1%946 votesOthers: 2.5% (90 votes).
Most votes in Grant County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Big Stone City lies in Grant County. Every 2024 race in Grant County is on the county’s page.
Grant 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 Big Stone City.
- 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.
How Big Stone City compares with the towns next door
Big Stone City’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 0 of the 1 towns next door reported 2022 figures. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Big Stone Township | estimate | $1,428 |
| Big Stone City | estimate | $1,195 |
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 Big Stone City’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Big Stone City’s government
How much does Big Stone City spend per resident?
About $1,843 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Big Stone City didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $874,000.
What is the property tax rate in Big Stone City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,195 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.79% 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 Big Stone City’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Big Stone City yet.
How did Big Stone City vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Big Stone City alone. Grant County, where 100% of Big Stone City lies, voted Trump 71.5%, Harris 26.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Big Stone City?
6 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $42,351 (about $508,212 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Big Stone City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 4 (Stephanie Sauder) and State House District 4 (Dylan Jordan and Kent Roe). The House district also covers 122 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Big Stone City’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 Big Stone City, 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 →