Solomon Walters House · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0How is Bruce run?
Bruce’s city government spent $121,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $573 per resident.
What stands out about how Bruce is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Sioux Valley School District 05-5
Bruce’s K–12 school district, shared with Sinai, Volga, Volga Township, Oakwood Township, Oslo Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,650 per pupil, $6,930 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 $573 per resident a year, or $1.57 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 93%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Bruce yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Bruce’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2023 only (2022 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,750 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.53% 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 Bruce’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 Bruce’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bruce →
Who’s in charge in Bruce
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 106 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (211).
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.
Bruce’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 Bruce alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Brookings County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican57.4%8,575 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat40.0%5,978 votesOthers: 2.6% (386 votes).
Most votes in Brookings County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Bruce lies in Brookings County. Every 2024 race in Brookings County is on the county’s page.
Brookings 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 Bruce.
- 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 Bruce compares with the towns next door
Bruce’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. None of its neighbors reported 2022 figures. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Sterling Township | estimate | $4,133 |
| Oakwood Township | estimate | $2,718 |
| Bruce | estimate | $1,750 |
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 Bruce’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Bruce’s government
How much does Bruce spend per resident?
About $573 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Bruce?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,750 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.53% 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 Bruce’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bruce yet.
How did Bruce vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bruce alone. Brookings County, where 100% of Bruce lies, voted Trump 57.4%, Harris 40.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bruce?
2 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $6,861 (about $82,332 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bruce 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 Bruce’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 →