Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Hill City spent more per resident in 2022 than 90% of similar cities
Hill City’s city government spent $866,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $903 per resident. Water and other utilities ($106,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Hill City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,667 per resident in 2022: more than 90% of them
Hill City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,667 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 $747, and the middle half spent $370–$1,166. Hill City spent more than 90% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($311,000), as the Census Bureau counts 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; Hill City itself left out).
About $903 per resident a year, or $2.47 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 45%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 52% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Hill City reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,667 · 2024: $903. Per resident it went from $1,667 to $903 (down 46%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,074 to 959.
full-time in March 2025, up from 10 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,544 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.24% 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 Hill City’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 Hill City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Hill City →
Who’s in charge in Hill City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Hill City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on hillcitysd.govoffice2.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 80 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (959).
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.
Hill City School District 51-2
Hill City’s K–12 school district, shared with Keystone. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,874 per pupil, $7,581 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.
Hill City’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 Hill City alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Pennington County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican61.9%35,009 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat35.4%20,051 votesOthers: 2.7% (1,520 votes).
Most votes in Pennington County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Hill City lies in Pennington County. Every 2024 race in Pennington County is on the county’s page.
Pennington 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 Hill City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: hillcitysd.govoffice2.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 Hill City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Hill City’s government
How much does Hill City spend per resident?
About $903 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,667 was more than 90% of 124 South Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Hill City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,544 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.24% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see hillcitysd.govoffice2.com.
Who runs Hill City’s government?
See hillcitysd.govoffice2.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Hill City yet.
How did Hill City vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Hill City alone. Pennington County, where 100% of Hill City lies, voted Trump 61.9%, Harris 35.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Hill City?
12 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $77,516 (about $930,192 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Hill City 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 Hill City’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 →