Waddell Block · Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 3.0Philip spent more per resident in 2022 than 83% of similar cities
Philip’s city government spent $1.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,747 per resident. Water and other utilities ($202,000) and the airport ($43,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Philip is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,369 per resident in 2022: more than 83% of them
Philip’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,369 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. Philip spent more than 83% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($180,000), 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; Philip itself left out).
About $1,747 per resident a year, or $4.79 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 19%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 25% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Philip 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: $1,369 · 2023: $1,747.
full-time in March 2025, the same as 6 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 $2,795 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.53% 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 Philip’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 Philip’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Philip →
Who’s in charge in Philip
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 123 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (736).
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.
Haakon School District 27-1
Philip’s K–12 school district, shared with Cottonwood, Grandview II Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,528 per pupil, $6,944 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.
Philip’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 Philip alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Haakon County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican89.2%1,004 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat9.3%105 votesOthers: 1.4% (16 votes).
Most votes in Haakon County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Philip lies in Haakon County. Every 2024 race in Haakon County is on the county’s page.
Haakon 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 Philip.
- 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 Philip’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Philip’s government
How much does Philip spend per resident?
About $1,747 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 $1,369 was more than 83% of 124 South Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Philip?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,795 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.53% 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 Philip’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Philip yet.
How did Philip vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Philip alone. Haakon County, where 100% of Philip lies, voted Trump 89.2%, Harris 9.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Philip?
6 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $35,300 (about $423,600 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Philip in the state legislature?
State Senate District 24 (Jim Mehlhaff) and State House District 24 (Mike Weisgram and Will Mortenson). The House district also covers 11 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Philip’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 →