Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0How is Blooming Prairie run?
Blooming Prairie’s city government spent $2.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,155 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Blooming Prairie is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,155 per resident a year, or $3.16 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,155 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Blooming Prairie’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,155 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–$1,505. Blooming Prairie spent more than 53% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($621,000), 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; Blooming Prairie itself left out).
No trend yet
Blooming Prairie reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $2,182 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.35% 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 Blooming Prairie’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 Blooming Prairie’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Blooming Prairie →
Who’s in charge in Blooming Prairie
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Blooming Prairie’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on bloomingprairie.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 101 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,927).
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.
Blooming Prairie Public School District
Blooming Prairie’s K–12 school district, shared with Blooming Prairie Township, Newry Township, Udolpho Township, Westfield Township, Aurora Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,647 per pupil, $8,976 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.
Blooming Prairie’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Blooming Prairie alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Steele County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican61.0%12,742 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat36.7%7,650 votesOthers: 2.3% (480 votes).
Most votes in Steele County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Blooming Prairie lies in Steele County; the rest in Dodge County. Every 2024 race in Steele County is on the county’s page.
Steele 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 Blooming Prairie.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: bloomingprairie.com ↗
- 2Minnesota HouseBlooming Prairie is split between 2 districts
- 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.
How Blooming Prairie compares with the towns next door
Blooming Prairie spent $1,155 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Blooming Prairie Township | $70 | $2,765 |
| Westfield Township | $336 | $3,058 |
| Blooming Prairie | $1,155 | $2,182 |
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 Blooming Prairie’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Blooming Prairie’s government
How much does Blooming Prairie spend per resident?
About $1,155 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,155 was more than 53% of 619 Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Blooming Prairie?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,182 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.35% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bloomingprairie.com.
Who runs Blooming Prairie’s government?
See bloomingprairie.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Blooming Prairie yet.
How did Blooming Prairie vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Blooming Prairie alone. Steele County, where 100% of Blooming Prairie lies, voted Trump 61.0%, Harris 36.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Blooming Prairie?
19 full-time and 10 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $109,753 (about $1.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Blooming Prairie in the state legislature?
Blooming Prairie is split among 2 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Minnesota Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Blooming Prairie’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 →