Photo: Acroterion · CC BY-SA 4.0Buffalo spent less per resident in 2022 than 80% of similar cities
Buffalo’s town government spent $5.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,159 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Buffalo is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$1,084 per resident in 2022: less than 80% of them
Buffalo’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,084 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 15 Wyoming cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,337, and the middle half spent $1,208–$1,582. Buffalo spent less than 80% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.1 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 →
Wyoming cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Buffalo itself left out).
About $1,159 per resident a year, or $3.18 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 6% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Buffalo 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: $1,084 · 2023: $1,223 · 2024: $1,159.
full-time in March 2025, up from 45 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 $1,685 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.56% of the home’s value, vs 0.57% across Wyoming.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Buffalo’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 Buffalo’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Buffalo →
Who’s in charge in Buffalo
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Buffalo’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on buffalowyoming.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 98 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 (4,601).
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.
Johnson County School District 1
Buffalo’s K–12 school district, shared with Kaycee. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $23,407 per pupil, $13,018 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.
Wyoming districts overall: 39% local, 45% state, 16% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Buffalo’s votes are counted by county
Wyoming reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Buffalo alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Johnson County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican80.4%3,936 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat17.3%847 votesOthers: 2.3% (115 votes).
Most votes in Johnson County: Donald J Trump
Wyoming: Trump 71.6%, Harris 25.8%
100% of Buffalo lies in Johnson County. Every 2024 race in Johnson County is on the county’s page.
Johnson 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 Buffalo.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: buffalowyoming.org ↗
- 2Wyoming HouseState representatives
- 3Wyoming SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Wyoming
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Buffalo’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Buffalo’s government
How much does Buffalo spend per resident?
About $1,159 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 $1,084 was less than 80% of 15 Wyoming cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Buffalo?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,685 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.56% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.57% across Wyoming. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see buffalowyoming.org.
Who runs Buffalo’s government?
See buffalowyoming.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Buffalo yet.
How did Buffalo vote in 2024?
Wyoming counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Buffalo alone. Johnson County, where 100% of Buffalo lies, voted Trump 80.4%, Harris 17.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Buffalo?
47 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $241,494 (about $2.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Buffalo in the state legislature?
State Senate District 22 (Barry Crago) and State House District 40 (Marilyn Connolly). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Buffalo’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 →