Photo: Jake DeGroot · CC BY-SA 3.0Appleton spent more per resident in 2022 than 93% of similar cities
Appleton’s city government spent $3.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,293 per resident. It also runs a hospital ($40.3 million) and water utilities ($1.3 million), counted separately. Census Bureau figures.
What stands out about how Appleton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $2,293 per resident a year, or $6.28 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$2,126 per resident in 2022: more than 93% of them
Appleton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,126 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 619 Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,111, and the middle half spent $740–$1,504. Appleton spent more than 93% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($604,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Appleton itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 14% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Appleton 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: $2,126 · 2024: $2,293. Per resident it went from $2,126 to $2,293 (up 8%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,311 to 1,380.
full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), down from 13 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 $1,081 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.40% of the home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Appleton’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 Appleton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Appleton →
Who’s in charge in Appleton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Appleton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on appletonmn.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 115 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
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 (1,380).
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.
Lac Qui Parle Valley School District
Appleton’s K–12 school district, shared with Appleton Township, Augusta Township, Big Bend Township, Correll, Edison Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,487 per pupil, $9,511 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.
Minnesota districts overall: 30% local, 62% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Appleton’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Appleton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Swift County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.1%3,340 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat32.0%1,618 votesOthers: 1.9% (96 votes).
Most votes in Swift County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Appleton lies in Swift County. Every 2024 race in Swift County is on the county’s page.
Swift 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 Appleton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: appletonmn.com ↗
- 2Minnesota HouseState representatives
- 3Minnesota SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Minnesota
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Appleton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Appleton’s government
How much does Appleton spend per resident?
About $2,293 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. Appleton also runs a hospital ($40.3 million), counted separately. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,126 was more than 93% of 619 Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Appleton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,081 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.40% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see appletonmn.com.
Who runs Appleton’s government?
See appletonmn.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Appleton yet.
How did Appleton vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Appleton alone. Swift County, where 100% of Appleton lies, voted Trump 66.1%, Harris 32.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Appleton?
12 full-time and 57 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 125 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $887,552 (about $10.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Appleton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 12 (Torrey Westrom) and State House District 12A (Paul Anderson). The House district also covers 116 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Appleton’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 →