Gerome Clark House · Photo: Dan Breyfogle · CC BY-SA 3.0Arnolds Park spent more per resident in 2022 than 96% of similar cities
Arnolds Park’s city government spent $3.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,975 per resident. Water and other utilities ($704,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Arnolds Park is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,062 per resident in 2022: more than 96% of them
Arnolds Park’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,062 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 802 Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $900, and the middle half spent $632–$1,186. Arnolds Park spent more than 96% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($548,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Arnolds Park itself left out).
About $2,975 per resident a year, or $8.15 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 22% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Arnolds Park 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: $2,062 · 2023: $2,541 · 2024: $2,975. Per resident it went from $2,062 to $2,975 (up 44%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,354 to 1,142.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,836 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.87% of the home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Arnolds Park’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 Arnolds Park’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Arnolds Park →
Who’s in charge in Arnolds Park
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Arnolds Park’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on arnoldsparkcity.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 82 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (1,142).
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.
Okoboji Community School District
Arnolds Park’s K–12 school district, shared with Milford, Wahpeton, West Okoboji, Fostoria, Okoboji. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,988 per pupil, $8,690 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.
Iowa districts overall: 43% local, 49% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Arnolds Park’s votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Arnolds Park alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Dickinson County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.5%7,775 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat29.5%3,297 votesOthers: 1.1% (120 votes).
Most votes in Dickinson County: Donald J Trump
Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Arnolds Park lies in Dickinson County. Every 2024 race in Dickinson County is on the county’s page.
Dickinson 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 Arnolds Park.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: arnoldsparkcity.com ↗
- 2Iowa HouseState representatives
- 3Iowa SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Iowa
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Arnolds Park compares with the towns next door
Arnolds Park spent $2,062 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,028 to $1,508. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Milford | $1,028 | $2,308 |
| West Okoboji | $1,508 | $3,857 |
| Arnolds Park | $2,062 | $3,836 |
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 Arnolds Park’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Arnolds Park’s government
How much does Arnolds Park spend per resident?
About $2,975 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 $2,062 was more than 96% of 802 Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Arnolds Park?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,836 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.87% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see arnoldsparkcity.com.
Who runs Arnolds Park’s government?
See arnoldsparkcity.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Arnolds Park yet.
How did Arnolds Park vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Arnolds Park alone. Dickinson County, where 100% of Arnolds Park lies, voted Trump 69.5%, Harris 29.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Arnolds Park?
14 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $70,343 (about $844,116 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Arnolds Park in the state legislature?
State Senate District 5 (Dave Rowley) and State House District 10 (John Wills). The House district also covers 23 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Arnolds Park’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 →