ECR Kooi Bridge · Photo: Clayton B. Fraser · Public domainRanchester spent less per resident in 2022 than 74% of similar cities
Ranchester’s town government spent $2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,776 per resident. Water and other utilities ($232,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Ranchester is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$1,100 per resident in 2022: less than 74% of them
Ranchester’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,100 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 72 Wyoming cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,378, and the middle half spent $1,095–$1,807. Ranchester spent less than 74% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($294,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Wyoming cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Ranchester itself left out).
About $1,776 per resident a year, or $4.87 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 19%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 66% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Ranchester 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: $1,100 · 2023: $1,776.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,231 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.68% 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 Ranchester’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 Ranchester’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Ranchester →
Who’s in charge in Ranchester
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 370 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (1,110).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Sheridan County School District 1
Ranchester’s K–12 school district, shared with Dayton. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $19,240 per pupil, $10,802 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.
Ranchester’s votes are counted by county
Wyoming reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Ranchester alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Sheridan County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican73.3%12,041 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat23.9%3,920 votesOthers: 2.8% (464 votes).
Most votes in Sheridan County: Donald J Trump
Wyoming: Trump 71.6%, Harris 25.8%
100% of Ranchester lies in Sheridan County. Every 2024 race in Sheridan County is on the county’s page.
Sheridan 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 Ranchester.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Ranchester’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Ranchester’s government
How much does Ranchester spend per resident?
About $1,776 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,100 was less than 74% of 72 Wyoming cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Ranchester?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,231 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.68% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.57% across Wyoming. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Ranchester’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ranchester yet.
How did Ranchester vote in 2024?
Wyoming counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Ranchester alone. Sheridan County, where 100% of Ranchester lies, voted Trump 73.3%, Harris 23.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Ranchester?
3 full-time and 18 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $33,028 (about $396,336 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Ranchester in the state legislature?
State Senate District 21 (Bo Biteman) and State House District 51 (Laurie Bratten). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Ranchester’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 →