Photo: Mrs.Wessington · CC BY-SA 4.0Wessington spent more per resident in 2022 than 78% of similar cities
Wessington’s city government spent $230,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,285 per resident. Water and other utilities ($103,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Wessington is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,285 per resident in 2022: more than 78% of them
Wessington’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,285 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. Wessington spent more than 78% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($64,000), 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; Wessington itself left out).
About $1,285 per resident a year, or $3.52 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Wessington reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $814 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.80% 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’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 Wessington’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wessington →
Who’s in charge in Wessington
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Wessington’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on wessingtonsouthdakota.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 90 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 (179).
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.
Wolsey-Wessington School District 02-6
Wessington’s K–12 school district, shared with Vernon Township, Virgil, Wessington Township, Whiteside Township, Wolsey and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,994 per pupil, $7,336 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.
Miller Area School District 29-4 · $14,023 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Wessington’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 Wessington alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Beadle County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican68.8%4,826 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat28.8%2,017 votesOthers: 2.4% (167 votes).
Most votes in Beadle County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
96% of Wessington lies in Beadle County; the rest in Hand County. Every 2024 race in Beadle County is on the county’s page.
Beadle 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
Wessington sends 4 representatives to the South Dakota House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: wessingtonsouthdakota.com ↗
- 2South Dakota HouseWessington is split between 2 districts
- 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 compares with the towns next door
Wessington spent $1,285 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $972. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Whiteside Township | $972 | — |
| Hulbert Township | estimate | — |
| Wessington Township | estimate | $2,500 |
| Grand Township | estimate | — |
| Wessington | $1,285 | $814 |
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’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Wessington’s government
How much does Wessington spend per resident?
About $1,285 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 $1,285 was more than 78% of 124 South Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Wessington?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $814 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.80% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see wessingtonsouthdakota.com.
Who runs Wessington’s government?
See wessingtonsouthdakota.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wessington yet.
How did Wessington vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wessington alone. Beadle County, where 96% of Wessington lies, voted Trump 68.8%, Harris 28.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Wessington?
2 full-time and 10 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $13,589 (about $163,068 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Wessington in the state legislature?
Wessington is split among 2 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The South Dakota Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wessington’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 →