Chamberlain Bridge · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Chamberlain run?
Chamberlain’s city government spent $4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,598 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Chamberlain didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Chamberlain is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,598 per resident a year, or $4.38 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Chamberlain 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 Chamberlain yet
Every year of Chamberlain’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 22 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $2,498 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.11% 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 Chamberlain’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 Chamberlain’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Chamberlain →
Who’s in charge in Chamberlain
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Chamberlain’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofchamberlain.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 139 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 (2,498).
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.
Chamberlain School District 07-1
Chamberlain’s K–12 school district, shared with America Township, Bailey Township, Brule Township, Chamberlain Township, Oacoma and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,940 per pupil, $8,533 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.
Chamberlain’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 Chamberlain alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Brule County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.9%1,694 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat27.5%666 votesOthers: 2.6% (63 votes).
Most votes in Brule County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Chamberlain lies in Brule County. Every 2024 race in Brule County is on the county’s page.
Brule 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 Chamberlain.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofchamberlain.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 Chamberlain compares with the towns next door
Chamberlain’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 2 of the 2 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $69 to $1,027 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Chamberlain Township | $69 | $2,261 |
| Oacoma | $1,027 | $1,494 |
| Chamberlain | estimate | $2,498 |
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 Chamberlain’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Chamberlain’s government
How much does Chamberlain spend per resident?
About $1,598 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Chamberlain didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $6.2 million.
What is the property tax rate in Chamberlain?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,498 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.11% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofchamberlain.com.
Who runs Chamberlain’s government?
See cityofchamberlain.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Chamberlain yet.
How did Chamberlain vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Chamberlain alone. Brule County, where 100% of Chamberlain lies, voted Trump 69.9%, Harris 27.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Chamberlain?
18 full-time and 45 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $113,173 (about $1.4M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Chamberlain in the state legislature?
State Senate District 26 (Tamara Grove) and State House District 26B (Rebecca Reimer). The House district also covers 42 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Chamberlain’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 Chamberlain, 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 →