Photo: TravelingOtter · CC BY 2.0Keystone spent more per resident in 2022 than 94% of similar cities
Keystone’s town government spent $787,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $3,199 per resident. Water and other utilities ($213,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Keystone is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$2,071 per resident in 2022: more than 94% of them
Keystone’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,071 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. Keystone spent more than 94% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($266,000), 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; Keystone itself left out).
About $3,199 per resident a year, or $8.76 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 38%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 8% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Keystone 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: $2,071 · 2023: $3,199. Per resident it went from $2,071 to $3,199 (up 54%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 352 to 246.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
Who’s in charge in Keystone
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 41 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (246).
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.
Hill City School District 51-2
Keystone’s K–12 school district, shared with Hill City. 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.
Keystone’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 Keystone 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 Keystone 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 Keystone.
- 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 Keystone’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Keystone’s government
How much does Keystone spend per resident?
About $3,199 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,071 was more than 94% of 124 South Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Keystone’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Keystone yet.
How did Keystone vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Keystone alone. Pennington County, where 100% of Keystone lies, voted Trump 61.9%, Harris 35.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Keystone?
6 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $16,610 (about $199,320 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Keystone 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 Keystone’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 →