Photo: Heritage Preservation Department - MNHS · CC BY-SA 4.0Clara City spent more per resident in 2022 than 99% of similar cities
Clara City’s city government spent $9.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $6,633 per resident. Water and other utilities ($330,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Clara City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$6,065 per resident in 2022: more than 99% of them
Clara City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($6,065 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. Clara City spent more than 99% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($392,000), 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; Clara City itself left out).
About $6,633 per resident a year, or $18.17 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: health & welfare, at 70%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 18% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Clara City 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: $6,065 · 2024: $6,633. Per resident it went from $6,065 to $6,633 (up 9%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,273 to 1,372.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,972 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.73% 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 Clara City’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 Clara City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Clara City →
Who’s in charge in Clara City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Clara City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on claracity.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 49 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (1,372).
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.
MACCRAY School District
Clara City’s K–12 school district, shared with Crate Township, Lone Tree Township, Maynard, Raymond, Rheiderland Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,984 per pupil, $9,660 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.
Clara City’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Clara City alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Chippewa County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.1%4,175 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat32.1%2,026 votesOthers: 1.9% (117 votes).
Most votes in Chippewa County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Clara City lies in Chippewa County. Every 2024 race in Chippewa County is on the county’s page.
Chippewa 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 Clara City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: claracity.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.
How Clara City compares with the towns next door
Clara City spent $6,065 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $260. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Stoneham Township | $260 | $2,675 |
| Rheiderland Township | estimate | $1,925 |
| Clara City | $6,065 | $1,972 |
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 Clara City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Clara City’s government
How much does Clara City spend per resident?
About $6,633 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 $6,065 was more than 99% of 619 Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Clara City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,972 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.73% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see claracity.org.
Who runs Clara City’s government?
See claracity.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Clara City yet.
How did Clara City vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Clara City alone. Chippewa County, where 100% of Clara City lies, voted Trump 66.1%, Harris 32.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Clara City?
28 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $93,882 (about $1.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Clara City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 16 (Andrew Lang) and State House District 16A (Scott Van Binsbergen). The House district also covers 80 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Clara City’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 →