Photo: Pi3.124 · CC BY-SA 4.0Scenic Township spent more per resident in 2022 than 99% of similar towns
Scenic Township’s town government spent $118,000 on day-to-day services in the year to February 28, 2022, about $1,844 per resident.
What stands out about how Scenic Township is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$1,844 per resident in 2022: more than 99% of them
Scenic Township’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,844 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 395 South Dakota towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $292, and the middle half spent $142–$513. Scenic Township spent more than 99% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
South Dakota towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Scenic Township itself left out).
About $1,844 per resident a year, or $5.05 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 84%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Scenic Township reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $199 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Scenic Township’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 Scenic Township’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Scenic Township →
Who’s in charge in Scenic Township
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 64 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (64).
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.
Wall School District 51-5
Scenic Township’s K–12 school district, shared with Ash Township, Castle Butte Township, Cedar Butte Township, Conata Township, Fairview Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,625 per pupil, $7,913 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.
Scenic Township’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 Scenic Township 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 Scenic Township 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 Scenic Township.
- 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.
How Scenic Township compares with the towns next door
Scenic Township spent $1,844 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Imlay Township | estimate | — |
| Crooked Creek Township | estimate | — |
| Scenic Township | $1,844 | $199 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Scenic Township’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Scenic Township’s government
How much does Scenic Township spend per resident?
About $1,844 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to February 28, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,844 was more than 99% of 395 South Dakota towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Scenic Township’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Scenic Township yet.
How did Scenic Township vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Scenic Township alone. Pennington County, where 100% of Scenic Township lies, voted Trump 61.9%, Harris 35.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Scenic Township?
1 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $6,771 (about $81,252 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Scenic Township 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 Scenic Township’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 →