Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0How is Lester run?
Lester’s town government spent $398,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $1,276 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Lester didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Lester is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Raleigh County School District
Lester’s K–12 school district, shared with Beckley, Mabscott, Sophia. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,417 per pupil, $8,436 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.
West Virginia districts overall: 36% local, 46% state, 18% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $1,276 per resident a year, or $3.50 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 40%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Lester didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Lester yet
Every year of Lester’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the town reported none of its dollars for 2022. 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 1 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Who’s in charge in Lester
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 312 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 2022 finance file (312).
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.
Lester’s votes are counted by county
West Virginia reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Lester alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Raleigh County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican76.4%23,644 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat22.0%6,816 votesOthers: 1.6% (506 votes).
Most votes in Raleigh County: Donald J Trump
West Virginia: Trump 70.0%, Harris 28.1%
100% of Lester lies in Raleigh County. Every 2024 race in Raleigh County is on the county’s page.
Raleigh 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 Lester.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2West Virginia House of DelegatesState representatives
- 3West Virginia SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of West Virginia
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Lester’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Lester’s government
How much does Lester spend per resident?
About $1,276 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Lester didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $421,000.
Who runs Lester’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lester yet.
How did Lester vote in 2024?
West Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Lester alone. Raleigh County, where 100% of Lester lies, voted Trump 76.4%, Harris 22.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Lester?
1 full-time and 3 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $19,323 (about $231,876 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Lester in the state legislature?
State Senate District 9 (Brian Helton and Rollan Roberts) and House of Delegates District 43 (Chris Toney). The House of Delegates district also covers 1 neighboring town. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lester’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 Lester, 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 →