Dawson Carnegie Library · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0Dawson spent more per resident in 2022 than 91% of similar cities
Dawson’s city government spent $3.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,561 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Dawson is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,987 per resident in 2022: more than 91% of them
Dawson’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,987 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. Dawson spent more than 91% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($638,000), 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; Dawson itself left out).
About $2,561 per resident a year, or $7.02 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 36% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Dawson 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: $1,987 · 2024: $2,561. Per resident it went from $1,987 to $2,561 (up 29%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,378 to 1,450.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,011 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.46% 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 Dawson’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 Dawson’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dawson →
Who’s in charge in Dawson
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Dawson’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on dawsonmn.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 145 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 (1,450).
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.
Dawson-Boyd Public School District
Dawson’s K–12 school district, shared with Boyd, Maxwell Township, Riverside Township, Ten Mile Lake Township, Baxter Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,216 per pupil, $9,569 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.
Dawson’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dawson alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lac qui Parle County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican65.1%2,600 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat32.9%1,314 votesOthers: 2.1% (82 votes).
Most votes in Lac qui Parle County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Dawson lies in Lac qui Parle County. Every 2024 race in Lac qui Parle County is on the county’s page.
Lac qui Parle 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 Dawson.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: dawsonmn.com ↗
- 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.
Reach Dawson’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Dawson’s government
How much does Dawson spend per resident?
About $2,561 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 $1,987 was more than 91% of 619 Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Dawson?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,011 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.46% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see dawsonmn.com.
Who runs Dawson’s government?
See dawsonmn.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dawson yet.
How did Dawson vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dawson alone. Lac qui Parle County, where 100% of Dawson lies, voted Trump 65.1%, Harris 32.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Dawson?
10 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $59,657 (about $715,884 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Dawson in the state legislature?
State Senate District 15 (Gary Dahms) and State House District 15A (Chris Swedzinski). The House district also covers 90 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Dawson’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 →