Buffalo spent less per resident in 2022 than 72% of similar cities
Buffalo’s city government spent $18 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,088 per resident. Water and other utilities ($27.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Buffalo is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
6 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Buffalo’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov3Airport Advisory BoardTuesday · 7:00 pm · Buffalo Airport Arrival and Departure Building, 1305 County Road 134Airport Advisory Board MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov9Heritage Preservation Advisory BoardMonday · 5:00 pm · City Center Council Chambers, 212 Central AvenueMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov9Planning CommissionMonday · 7:00 pm · City Center Council Chambers, 212 Central AvenuePlanning Commission MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov10Housing & Redevelopment AuthorityTuesday · 4:00 pm · City Center Council Chambers, 212 Central AvenueHousing & Redevelopment Authority MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov16Municipal Utilities CommissionMonday · 1:00 pm · Buffalo City Center, 212 Central Ave.Municipal Utilities Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov16City CouncilMonday · 7:00 pm · Buffalo City Center, 212 Central Ave.City Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Oct30Airport Advisory BoardFriday · 6:00 pmOne Time EventAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct19City CouncilMonday · 7:00 pm · Buffalo City Center, 212 Central Ave.City Council MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Oct19Municipal Utilities CommissionMonday · 1:00 pm · Buffalo City Center, 212 Central Ave.Municipal Utilities Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Oct5City CouncilMonday · 7:00 pm · Buffalo City Center, 212 Central Ave.City Council MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Sep29Airport Advisory BoardTuesday · 6:00 pmOne Time EventAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $1,088 per resident a year, or $2.98 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$711 per resident in 2022: less than 72% of them
Buffalo’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($711 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. Buffalo spent less than 72% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($989,000), 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; Buffalo itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 50% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Buffalo 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: $711 · 2023: $1,022 · 2024: $1,088.
full-time in March 2025, up from 70 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,484 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.11% 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 Buffalo’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 Buffalo’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Buffalo →
Who’s in charge in Buffalo
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 181 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (16,502).
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.
Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Public Schools
Buffalo’s K–12 school district, shared with Montrose, Buffalo Township, Hanover, Rockford Township, Marysville Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,796 per pupil, $9,840 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.
Buffalo’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Buffalo alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Wright County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican63.5%57,211 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat34.3%30,883 votesOthers: 2.2% (1,947 votes).
Most votes in Wright County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Buffalo lies in Wright County. Every 2024 race in Wright County is on the county’s page.
Wright 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 Buffalo.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Buffalo compares with the towns next door
Buffalo spent $711 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Chatham Township | $233 | $4,119 |
| Rockford Township | $353 | $3,723 |
| Maple Lake Township | $430 | $3,725 |
| Buffalo Township | $469 | $3,893 |
| Buffalo | $711 | $3,484 |
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 Buffalo’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Buffalo’s government
How much does Buffalo spend per resident?
About $1,088 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 $711 was less than 72% of 51 Minnesota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Buffalo?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,484 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.11% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Buffalo’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Buffalo yet.
How did Buffalo vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Buffalo alone. Wright County, where 100% of Buffalo lies, voted Trump 63.5%, Harris 34.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Buffalo?
91 full-time and 59 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $756,548 (about $9.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Buffalo in the state legislature?
State Senate District 29 (Mike Holmstrom) and State House District 29B (Marion Rarick). The House district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Buffalo?
The next posted meeting is Airport Advisory Board on Tuesday, November 3, at 7:00 pm in Buffalo Airport Arrival and Departure Building, 1305 County Road 134, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Buffalo’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 →