Hilton House · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0How is White Lake run?
White Lake’s town government spent $597,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,470 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: White Lake didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how White Lake is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
White Lake School District 01-3
White Lake’s K–12 school district, shared with Lake Township, White Lake Township, Patten Township, Gales Township, Washington Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,710 per pupil, $8,548 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.
About $1,470 per resident a year, or $4.03 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
White Lake didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for White Lake yet
Every year of White Lake’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the town reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, the same as 2 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $1,250 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.99% 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 White Lake’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 White Lake’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in White Lake →
Who’s in charge in White Lake
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
White Lake’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on whitelakesd.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 203 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (406).
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.
White Lake’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 White Lake alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Aurora County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican75.8%1,056 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat21.7%302 votesOthers: 2.5% (35 votes).
Most votes in Aurora County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of White Lake lies in Aurora County. Every 2024 race in Aurora County is on the county’s page.
Aurora 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 White Lake.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: whitelakesd.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.
Reach White Lake’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about White Lake’s government
How much does White Lake spend per resident?
About $1,470 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (White Lake didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $954,000.
What is the property tax rate in White Lake?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,250 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.99% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see whitelakesd.com.
Who runs White Lake’s government?
See whitelakesd.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for White Lake yet.
How did White Lake vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for White Lake alone. Aurora County, where 100% of White Lake lies, voted Trump 75.8%, Harris 21.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for White Lake?
2 full-time and 22 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $36,909 (about $442,908 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents White Lake in the state legislature?
State Senate District 21 (MyKala Voita) and State House District 21 (Jim Halverson and Marty Overweg). The House district also covers 129 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about White Lake’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 (for White Lake, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →