Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Custer run?
Custer’s city government spent $1.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $578 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau.
What stands out about how Custer is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Custer School District 16-1
Custer’s K–12 school district, shared with Fairburn, Hermosa, Pringle. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,511 per pupil, $8,748 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 $578 per resident a year, or $1.58 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 35%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$578 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Custer’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($578 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 124 South Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $770, and the middle half spent $370–$1,182. Custer spent less than 63% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
South Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Custer itself left out).
No trend yet
Custer reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2024 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, down from 13 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $2,430 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.03% 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 Custer’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 Custer’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Custer →
Who’s in charge in Custer
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Custer’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on custersd.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 175 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 2022 finance file (1,926).
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.
Custer’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 Custer 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 Custer 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 Custer.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: custersd.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.
Reach Custer’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Custer’s government
How much does Custer spend per resident?
About $578 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $578 was less than 63% of 124 South Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Custer?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,430 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.03% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see custersd.com.
Who runs Custer’s government?
See custersd.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Custer yet.
How did Custer vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Custer alone. Custer County, where 100% of Custer lies, voted Trump 71.9%, Harris 26.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Custer?
11 full-time and 17 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $91,189 (about $1.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Custer 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 Custer’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 →