How is Eureka run?
Eureka’s city government spent $932,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,174 per resident. Water and other utilities ($299,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Eureka is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,174 per resident a year, or $3.22 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 31%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Eureka yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Eureka’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2024 only (2022 and 2023 are estimates), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,028 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.31% 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 Eureka’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 Eureka’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Eureka →
Who’s in charge in Eureka
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Eureka’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on eurekasd.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 132 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (794).
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.
Eureka School District 44-1
Eureka’s K–12 school district, shared with Artas, Hillsview. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,474 per pupil, $10,754 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.
Eureka’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 Eureka alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are McPherson County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican83.7%1,087 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat14.5%188 votesOthers: 1.8% (24 votes).
Most votes in McPherson County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Eureka lies in McPherson County. Every 2024 race in McPherson County is on the county’s page.
McPherson 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 Eureka.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: eurekasd.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 Eureka’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Eureka’s government
How much does Eureka spend per resident?
About $1,174 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Eureka?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,028 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.31% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see eurekasd.com.
Who runs Eureka’s government?
See eurekasd.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Eureka yet.
How did Eureka vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Eureka alone. McPherson County, where 100% of Eureka lies, voted Trump 83.7%, Harris 14.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Eureka?
6 full-time and 14 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $29,628 (about $355,536 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Eureka in the state legislature?
State Senate District 23 (Mark Lapka) and State House District 23 (Scott Moore and Spencer Gosch). The House district also covers 131 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Eureka’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 →