How is Dayton run?
Dayton’s city government spent $11.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,205 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Dayton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,205 per resident a year, or $3.30 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$932 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Dayton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($932 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 133 Minnesota cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,081, and the middle half spent $815–$1,405. Dayton spent less than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.1 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Dayton itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 61% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Dayton 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: $932 · 2023: $1,034 · 2024: $1,205. Per resident it went from $932 to $1,205 (up 29%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 7,404 to 9,242.
full-time in March 2025, the same as 23 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 $5,324 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.04% 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 Dayton’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 Dayton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dayton →
Who’s in charge in Dayton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Dayton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofdaytonmn.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 402 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 (9,242).
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.
Anoka-Hennepin Public School District
Dayton’s K–12 school district, shared with Anoka, Champlin, Coon Rapids, Ham Lake, Andover and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,135 per pupil, $10,832 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.
Elk River School District · $13,652 per pupil
Osseo Public School District · $17,497 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Dayton’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dayton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Hennepin County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat69.8%502,710 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican27.4%197,244 votesOthers: 2.8% (20,219 votes).
Most votes in Hennepin County: Kamala D Harris
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
99% of Dayton lies in Hennepin County; the rest in Wright County. Every 2024 race in Hennepin County is on the county’s page.
Hennepin 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 Dayton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofdaytonmn.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.
How Dayton compares with the towns next door
Dayton spent $932 per resident in 2022; the 7 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $304 to $1,052. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
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 Dayton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Dayton’s government
How much does Dayton spend per resident?
About $1,205 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 $932 was less than 62% of 133 Minnesota cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Dayton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,324 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.04% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofdaytonmn.com.
Who runs Dayton’s government?
See cityofdaytonmn.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dayton yet.
How did Dayton vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dayton alone. Hennepin County, where 99% of Dayton lies, voted Harris 69.8%, Trump 27.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Dayton?
23 full-time and 41 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $248,397 (about $3.0M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Dayton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 34 (John Hoffman) and State House District 34A (Danny Nadeau). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Dayton’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 →