Photo: Not credited · Public domainBison runs its own hospital
Bison’s town government spent $497,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,657 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Bison didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Bison is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $1,657 per resident a year, or $4.54 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: housing & development, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Bison 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 Bison yet
Every year of Bison’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the town 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 →The typical homeowner pays $1,342 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.64% 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 Bison’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 Bison’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bison →
Who’s in charge in Bison
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bison’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on bisonsd.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 75 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (300).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Bison School District 52-1
Bison’s K–12 school district, shared with Ada Township, Antelope Township, Beck-Highland Township, Bison Township, Cash Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,358 per pupil, $9,759 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.
Bison’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 Bison alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Perkins County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican84.3%1,342 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat14.3%228 votesOthers: 1.3% (21 votes).
Most votes in Perkins County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Bison lies in Perkins County. Every 2024 race in Perkins County is on the county’s page.
Perkins 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 Bison.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: bisonsd.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 Bison compares with the towns next door
Bison’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 1 of the 1 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $87 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Bison Township | $87 | $2,400 |
| Bison | estimate | $1,342 |
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 Bison’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bison’s government
How much does Bison spend per resident?
About $1,657 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Bison didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $2.8 million.
What is the property tax rate in Bison?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,342 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.64% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bisonsd.com.
Who runs Bison’s government?
See bisonsd.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bison yet.
How did Bison vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Bison alone. Perkins County, where 100% of Bison lies, voted Trump 84.3%, Harris 14.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bison?
4 full-time and 22 part-time employees in March 2022 (plus 0 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $22,104 (about $265,248 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bison in the state legislature?
State Senate District 28 (Sam Marty) and State House District 28A (Jana Hunt). The House district also covers 37 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bison’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 Bison, 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 →