Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0Columbia Heights spent more per resident in 2022 than 86% of similar cities
Columbia Heights’ city government spent $25.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,159 per resident. Water and other utilities ($12.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Columbia Heights is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,319 per resident in 2022: more than 86% of them
Columbia Heights’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,319 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. Columbia Heights spent more than 86% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.4 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; Columbia Heights itself left out).
About $1,159 per resident a year, or $3.18 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 4% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Columbia Heights 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: $1,319 · 2023: $1,126 · 2024: $1,159. Per resident it went from $1,319 to $1,159 (down 12%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 20,381 to 22,243.
full-time in March 2025, up from 113 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 $3,003 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 Columbia Heights’ 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 Columbia Heights’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Columbia Heights →
Who’s in charge in Columbia Heights
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Columbia Heights’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.columbia-heights.mn.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 190 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 (22,243).
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.
Columbia Heights Public School District
Columbia Heights’ K–12 school district, shared with Hilltop. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,590 per pupil, $9,618 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.
Columbia Heights’ votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Columbia Heights alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Anoka County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican50.8%106,974 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat46.4%97,667 votesOthers: 2.8% (5,840 votes).
Most votes in Anoka County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Columbia Heights lies in Anoka County. Every 2024 race in Anoka County is on the county’s page.
Anoka 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 Columbia Heights.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.columbia-heights.mn.us ↗
- 2Minnesota HouseColumbia Heights 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 Columbia Heights compares with the towns next door
Columbia Heights spent $1,319 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,291. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Fridley | $1,291 | $3,320 |
| Columbia Heights | $1,319 | $3,003 |
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 Columbia Heights’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Columbia Heights’ government
How much does Columbia Heights spend per resident?
About $1,159 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 $1,319 was more than 86% of 51 Minnesota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Columbia Heights?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,003 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.columbia-heights.mn.us.
Who runs Columbia Heights’ government?
See ci.columbia-heights.mn.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Columbia Heights yet.
How did Columbia Heights vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Columbia Heights alone. Anoka County, where 100% of Columbia Heights lies, voted Trump 50.8%, Harris 46.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Columbia Heights?
117 full-time and 73 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.1M (about $13.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Columbia Heights in the state legislature?
Columbia Heights is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Minnesota Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 39 (Mary Kunesh). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Columbia Heights’ 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 →