Photo: Elkman · CC BY-SA 3.0Brainerd spent more per resident in 2022 than 88% of similar cities
Brainerd’s city government spent $21.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,451 per resident. Water and other utilities ($31.4 million) and the airport ($1.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Brainerd is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
6 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Brainerd’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov5GeneralThursday · 7:30 amEDA WorkshopMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov16Personnel & Finance CommitteeMonday · 7:00 pmPersonnel and Finance Committee MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov16Safety & Public Works CommitteeMonday · 7:30 pm · 501 Laurel Street, City Hall Council ChambersSafety and Public Works Committee MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov16City CouncilMonday · 7:30 pm · 501 Laurel Street, City Hall Council ChambersCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov17Park BoardTuesday · 4:00 pm · City Hall Council Chambers, 501 Laurel StreetMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov18Planning CommissionWednesday · 6:00 pm · City Hall Council ChambersMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Nov2City CouncilMonday · 7:30 pm · 501 Laurel Street, City Hall Council ChambersCity Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Nov2Personnel & Finance CommitteeMonday · 7:00 pmPersonnel and Finance Committee MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Nov2Safety & Public Works CommitteeMonday · 6:30 pm · 501 Laurel Street, City Hall Council ChambersSafety and Public Works Committee MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Oct27Park BoardTuesday · 4:00 pm · City Hall Council Chambers, 501 Laurel StreetAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct27Public Utilities CommissionTuesday · 9:00 am · City Hall Council Chambers, 501 Laurel StAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $1,451 per resident a year, or $3.98 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 24%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,349 per resident in 2022: more than 88% of them
Brainerd’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,349 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 $971, and the middle half spent $700–$1,214. Brainerd spent more than 88% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($808,000), 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Brainerd itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 17% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Brainerd 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: $1,349 · 2023: $1,480 · 2024: $1,451. Per resident it went from $1,349 to $1,451 (up 8%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 13,449 to 14,580.
full-time in March 2025, up from 76 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 $2,082 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.08% 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 Brainerd’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 Brainerd’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Brainerd →
Who’s in charge in Brainerd
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 185 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 (14,580).
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.
Brainerd Public School District
Brainerd’s K–12 school district, shared with Baxter, Crow Wing Township, Fort Ripley, Fort Ripley Township, Garrison and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,555 per pupil, $10,265 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.
Brainerd’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Brainerd alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Crow Wing County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican64.7%27,423 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat33.5%14,173 votesOthers: 1.8% (770 votes).
Most votes in Crow Wing County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Brainerd lies in Crow Wing County. Every 2024 race in Crow Wing County is on the county’s page.
Crow Wing 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 Brainerd.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.brainerd.mn.us ↗
- 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.
How Brainerd compares with the towns next door
Brainerd spent $1,349 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Oak Lawn Township | $171 | $1,813 |
| Long Lake Township | $187 | $1,886 |
| Crow Wing Township | $274 | $2,323 |
| Baxter | $913 | $3,025 |
| Brainerd | $1,349 | $2,082 |
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 Brainerd’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Brainerd’s government
How much does Brainerd spend per resident?
About $1,451 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 $1,349 was more than 88% of 51 Minnesota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Brainerd?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,082 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.08% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.brainerd.mn.us.
Who runs Brainerd’s government?
See ci.brainerd.mn.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Brainerd yet.
How did Brainerd vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Brainerd alone. Crow Wing County, where 100% of Brainerd lies, voted Trump 64.7%, Harris 33.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Brainerd?
79 full-time and 52 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $619,264 (about $7.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Brainerd in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Keri Heintzeman) and State House District 6B (Josh Heintzeman). The House district also covers 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Brainerd?
The next posted meeting is General on Thursday, November 5, at 7:30 am, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Brainerd’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 →