Lebanon spent more per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities
Lebanon’s town government spent $226,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $5,256 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. The airport ($10,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Lebanon is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$5,256 per resident in 2022: more than 100% of them
Lebanon’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($5,256 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. Lebanon spent more than 100% 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; Lebanon itself left out).
About $5,256 per resident a year, or $14.40 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 16%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Lebanon reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2023 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet.
Who’s in charge in Lebanon
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 22 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 2022 finance file (43).
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.
Hoven School District 53-2
Lebanon’s K–12 school district, shared with Hoven, Tolstoy, Sherman Township, Hudson Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $21,304 per pupil, $11,938 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.
Lebanon’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 Lebanon alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Potter County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican81.6%1,059 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat16.5%214 votesOthers: 1.9% (25 votes).
Most votes in Potter County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Lebanon lies in Potter County. Every 2024 race in Potter County is on the county’s page.
Potter 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 Lebanon.
- 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 Lebanon’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Lebanon’s government
How much does Lebanon spend per resident?
About $5,256 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 $5,256 was more than 100% of 124 South Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Lebanon’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lebanon yet.
How did Lebanon vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Lebanon alone. Potter County, where 100% of Lebanon lies, voted Trump 81.6%, Harris 16.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Lebanon?
2 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $10,225 (about $122,700 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Lebanon 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 Lebanon’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 →