Photo: KAM32296 · CC BY-SA 4.0Big Lake spent less per resident in 2022 than 71% of similar cities
Big Lake’s city government spent $9.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $742 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Big Lake is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$714 per resident in 2022: less than 71% of them
Big Lake’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($714 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 51 Minnesota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $995, and the middle half spent $700–$1,242. Big Lake spent less than 71% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.2 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 →
Minnesota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Big Lake itself left out).
About $742 per resident a year, or $2.03 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 11% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Big Lake 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: $714 · 2024: $742. Per resident it went from $714 to $742 (up 4%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 11,565 to 12,413.
full-time in March 2025, up from 47 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 $3,549 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.07% 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 Big Lake’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 Big Lake’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Big Lake →
Who’s in charge in Big Lake
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Big Lake’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on biglakemn.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 259 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 (12,413).
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.
Big Lake Public School District
Big Lake’s K–12 school district, shared with Orrock Township, Big Lake Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,099 per pupil, $9,152 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.
Monticello Public School District · $16,758 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Big Lake’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Big Lake alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Sherburne County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.4%38,491 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat31.6%18,329 votesOthers: 2.0% (1,140 votes).
Most votes in Sherburne County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Big Lake lies in Sherburne County. Every 2024 race in Sherburne County is on the county’s page.
Sherburne 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 Big Lake.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: biglakemn.org ↗
- 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 Big Lake’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Big Lake’s government
How much does Big Lake spend per resident?
About $742 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $714 was less than 71% of 51 Minnesota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Big Lake?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,549 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.07% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see biglakemn.org.
Who runs Big Lake’s government?
See biglakemn.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Big Lake yet.
How did Big Lake vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Big Lake alone. Sherburne County, where 100% of Big Lake lies, voted Trump 66.4%, Harris 31.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Big Lake?
48 full-time and 22 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $393,657 (about $4.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Big Lake in the state legislature?
State Senate District 27 (Andrew Mathews) and State House District 27A (Shane Mekeland). The House district also covers nine other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Big Lake’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 →