Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5Sistersville spent more per resident in 2022 than 75% of similar cities
Sistersville’s city government spent $1.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,132 per resident. Water and other utilities ($513,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Sistersville is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$968 per resident in 2022: more than 75% of them
Sistersville’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($968 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 114 West Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $645, and the middle half spent $334–$950. Sistersville spent more than 75% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($172,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
West Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Sistersville itself left out).
About $1,132 per resident a year, or $3.10 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: health & welfare, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 27% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Sistersville 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: $968 · 2023: $902 · 2024: $1,132. Per resident it went from $968 to $1,132 (up 17%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,267 to 1,376.
full-time in March 2025, the same as 16 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $663 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.70% of the home’s value, vs 0.53% across West Virginia.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Sistersville’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 Sistersville’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sistersville →
Who’s in charge in Sistersville
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 86 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 (1,376).
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.
Tyler County School District
Sistersville’s K–12 school district, shared with Friendly, Middlebourne, Paden City. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $24,579 per pupil, $13,376 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.
Sistersville’s votes are counted by county
West Virginia reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sistersville alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Tyler County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican82.7%2,991 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat15.3%554 votesOthers: 2.0% (72 votes).
Most votes in Tyler County: Donald J Trump
West Virginia: Trump 70.0%, Harris 28.1%
100% of Sistersville lies in Tyler County. Every 2024 race in Tyler County is on the county’s page.
Tyler 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 Sistersville.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal 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 Sistersville’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Sistersville’s government
How much does Sistersville spend per resident?
About $1,132 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $968 was more than 75% of 114 West Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Sistersville?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $663 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.70% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.53% across West Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Sistersville’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sistersville yet.
How did Sistersville vote in 2024?
West Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sistersville alone. Tyler County, where 100% of Sistersville lies, voted Trump 82.7%, Harris 15.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Sistersville?
16 full-time and 21 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $94,459 (about $1.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Sistersville in the state legislature?
State Senate District 2 (Charles Clements and Chris Rose) and House of Delegates District 8 (Bill Bell). The House of Delegates district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Sistersville’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 →