First National Bank of Norden · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Lake Norden run?
Lake Norden’s city government spent $1.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,061 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Lake Norden didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Lake Norden is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $2,061 per resident a year, or $5.65 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 18%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Lake Norden 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 Lake Norden yet
Every year of Lake Norden’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 →The typical homeowner pays $2,397 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 Lake Norden’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 Lake Norden’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lake Norden →
Who’s in charge in Lake Norden
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 119 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (593).
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.
Hamlin School District 28-3
Lake Norden’s K–12 school district, shared with Bryant, Cleveland Township, Dixon Township, Garfield Township, Hayti and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $10,323 per pupil, $6,355 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.
Lake Norden’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 Lake Norden alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Hamlin County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican79.4%2,560 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat18.9%610 votesOthers: 1.7% (56 votes).
Most votes in Hamlin County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Lake Norden lies in Hamlin County. Every 2024 race in Hamlin County is on the county’s page.
Hamlin 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 Lake Norden.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal 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 Lake Norden’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Lake Norden’s government
How much does Lake Norden spend per resident?
About $2,061 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Lake Norden didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $1.4 million.
What is the property tax rate in Lake Norden?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,397 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 the city’s assessor.
Who runs Lake Norden’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lake Norden yet.
How did Lake Norden vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lake Norden alone. Hamlin County, where 100% of Lake Norden lies, voted Trump 79.4%, Harris 18.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Lake Norden?
5 full-time and 10 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $26,202 (about $314,424 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Lake Norden in the state legislature?
State Senate District 4 (Stephanie Sauder) and State House District 4 (Dylan Jordan and Kent Roe). The House district also covers 122 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lake Norden’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 Lake Norden, 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 →