Photo: Teresa Fazio · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Buffalo Gap run?
Buffalo Gap’s town government spent $42,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $292 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Buffalo Gap didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Buffalo Gap is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $292 per resident a year, or $0.80 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 64%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Buffalo Gap didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Buffalo Gap yet
Every year of Buffalo Gap’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the town reported none of its dollars for 2022. 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 $864 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.86% 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 Buffalo Gap’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 Buffalo Gap’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Buffalo Gap →
Who’s in charge in Buffalo Gap
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Hot Springs School District 23-2
Buffalo Gap’s K–12 school district, shared with Hot Springs. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,208 per pupil, $6,545 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.
Buffalo Gap’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 Buffalo Gap alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Custer County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican71.9%4,313 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat26.1%1,567 votesOthers: 2.0% (121 votes).
Most votes in Custer County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Buffalo Gap lies in Custer County. Every 2024 race in Custer County is on the county’s page.
Custer 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 Buffalo Gap.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal 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.
Reach Buffalo Gap’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Buffalo Gap’s government
How much does Buffalo Gap spend per resident?
About $292 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Buffalo Gap didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $63,000.
What is the property tax rate in Buffalo Gap?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $864 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.86% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Buffalo Gap’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Buffalo Gap yet.
How did Buffalo Gap vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Buffalo Gap alone. Custer County, where 100% of Buffalo Gap lies, voted Trump 71.9%, Harris 26.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Buffalo Gap?
0 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1,023 (about $12,276 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Buffalo Gap in the state legislature?
State Senate District 30 (Amber Hulse) and State House District 30 (Tim Goodwin and Trish Ladner). The House district also covers 11 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Buffalo Gap’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 Buffalo Gap, 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 →