Municipal Field House · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0How is Wessington Springs run?
Wessington Springs’ city government spent $1.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,902 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Wessington Springs is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,902 per resident a year, or $5.21 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 19%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Wessington Springs yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Wessington Springs’ 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported 4% of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2024 only (2022 and 2023 are estimates), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,208 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.09% 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 Wessington Springs’ 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 Wessington Springs’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wessington Springs →
Who’s in charge in Wessington Springs
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Wessington Springs’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on wessingtonsprings.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 152 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 2024 finance file (762).
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.
Wessington Springs School District 36-2
Wessington Springs’ K–12 school district, shared with Anina Township, Chery Township, Crow Lake Township, Crow Township, Elvira Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,273 per pupil, $7,070 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.
Wessington Springs’ votes are counted by county
South Dakota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wessington Springs alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Jerauld County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican70.9%708 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat27.6%276 votesOthers: 1.5% (15 votes).
Most votes in Jerauld County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Wessington Springs lies in Jerauld County. Every 2024 race in Jerauld County is on the county’s page.
Jerauld 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 Wessington Springs.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: wessingtonsprings.com ↗
- 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 Wessington Springs compares with the towns next door
Wessington Springs’ 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $17,859 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Wessington Springs Township | $17,859 | $3,000 |
| Wessington Springs | estimate | $1,208 |
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 Wessington Springs’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Wessington Springs’ government
How much does Wessington Springs spend per resident?
About $1,902 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Wessington Springs?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,208 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.09% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see wessingtonsprings.com.
Who runs Wessington Springs’ government?
See wessingtonsprings.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wessington Springs yet.
How did Wessington Springs vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wessington Springs alone. Jerauld County, where 100% of Wessington Springs lies, voted Trump 70.9%, Harris 27.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Wessington Springs?
5 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $33,212 (about $398,544 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Wessington Springs in the state legislature?
State Senate District 20 (Paul Miskimins) and State House District 20 (Jeff Bathke and Kaley Nolz). The House district also covers 51 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wessington Springs’ 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 →