Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0How is New Underwood run?
New Underwood’s city government spent $496,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $730 per resident. Water and other utilities ($206,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how New Underwood is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $730 per resident a year, or $2.00 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$730 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
New Underwood’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($730 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 $770, and the middle half spent $370–$1,182. New Underwood spent less than 51% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($132,000), 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; New Underwood itself left out).
No trend yet
New Underwood reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, the same as 5 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $2,041 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.05% 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 New Underwood’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 New Underwood’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in New Underwood →
Who’s in charge in New Underwood
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 136 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (679).
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.
New Underwood School District 51-3
New Underwood’s K–12 school district, shared with Owanka Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,193 per pupil, $6,394 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.
New Underwood’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 New Underwood 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 New Underwood 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 New Underwood.
- 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 New Underwood’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about New Underwood’s government
How much does New Underwood spend per resident?
About $730 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 $730 was less than 51% of 124 South Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in New Underwood?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,041 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.05% 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 New Underwood’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for New Underwood yet.
How did New Underwood vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for New Underwood alone. Pennington County, where 100% of New Underwood lies, voted Trump 61.9%, Harris 35.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for New Underwood?
5 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $32,409 (about $388,908 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents New Underwood in the state legislature?
State Senate District 27 (Red Dawn Foster) and State House District 27 (Liz May and Peri Pourier). The House district also covers 35 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about New Underwood’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 →