Photo: National Park Service · Public domainYankton spent more per resident in 2022 than 74% of similar cities
Yankton’s city government spent $20.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,330 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.9 million) and the airport ($533,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Yankton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,621 per resident in 2022: more than 74% of them
Yankton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,621 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 23 South Dakota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,254, and the middle half spent $836–$1,628. Yankton spent more than 74% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.8 million), 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Yankton itself left out).
About $1,330 per resident a year, or $3.64 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 13% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Yankton 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: $1,621 · 2023: $1,330 · 2024: $1,330.
full-time in March 2025, up from 144 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 $2,507 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.13% 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 Yankton’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.
Tax bills are one input to Yankton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Yankton →
Who’s in charge in Yankton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Yankton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofyankton.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 97 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (15,534).
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.
Yankton School District 63-3
Yankton’s K–12 school district, shared with Mission Hill, Utica, Utica Township, Mission Hill Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,763 per pupil, $6,474 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.
Yankton’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 Yankton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Yankton County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican61.4%6,650 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat35.8%3,883 votesOthers: 2.8% (299 votes).
Most votes in Yankton County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Yankton lies in Yankton County. Every 2024 race in Yankton County is on the county’s page.
Yankton 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 Yankton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofyankton.org ↗
- 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 Yankton compares with the towns next door
Yankton spent $1,621 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Utica Township | $79 | $1,185 |
| Mission Hill Township | $293 | $3,023 |
| Yankton | $1,621 | $2,507 |
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 Yankton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Yankton’s government
How much does Yankton spend per resident?
About $1,330 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,621 was more than 74% of 23 South Dakota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Yankton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,507 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.13% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofyankton.org.
Who runs Yankton’s government?
See cityofyankton.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Yankton yet.
How did Yankton vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Yankton alone. Yankton County, where 100% of Yankton lies, voted Trump 61.4%, Harris 35.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Yankton?
160 full-time and 69 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $990,102 (about $11.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Yankton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 18 (Lauren Nelson) and State House District 18 (Julie Auch and Mike Stevens). The House district also covers 18 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Yankton’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 →