Photo: Tony Webster from San Francisco, California · CC BY-SA 2.0Duluth spent more per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities
Duluth’s city government spent $263.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $3,038 per resident. Water and other utilities ($76.8 million) and the airport ($17.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Duluth is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,810 per resident in 2022: more than 100% of them
Duluth’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,810 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 15 Minnesota cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $858, and the middle half spent $769–$968. Duluth spent more than 100% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($15.7 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 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Duluth itself left out).
About $3,038 per resident a year, or $8.32 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 17%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 69% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Duluth 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: $1,810 · 2023: $3,037 · 2024: $3,038.
full-time in March 2025, up from 1,001 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,885 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.19% 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 Duluth’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 Duluth’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Duluth →
Who’s in charge in Duluth
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Duluth’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on duluthmn.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 83 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 (86,619).
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.
Duluth Public School District
Duluth’s K–12 school district, shared with Gnesen Township, Lakewood Township, Normanna Township, North Star Township, Rice Lake. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,562 per pupil, $10,989 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.
Proctor Public School District · $14,622 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Duluth’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Duluth alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are St. Louis County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat55.7%66,335 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican42.1%50,065 votesOthers: 2.2% (2,609 votes).
Most votes in St. Louis County: Kamala D Harris
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Duluth lies in St. Louis County. Every 2024 race in St. Louis County is on the county’s page.
St. Louis 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 Duluth.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: duluthmn.gov ↗
- 2Minnesota HouseDuluth is split between 3 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 Duluth compares with the towns next door
Duluth spent $1,810 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Canosia Township | $162 | $3,140 |
| Lakewood Township | $199 | $3,739 |
| Midway Township | $240 | $3,036 |
| Rice Lake | $556 | $3,216 |
| Hermantown | $878 | $4,010 |
| Proctor | $1,044 | $2,461 |
| Twin Lakes Township | $1,918 | $3,442 |
| Duluth | $1,810 | $2,885 |
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 Duluth’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Duluth’s government
How much does Duluth spend per resident?
About $3,038 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 $1,810 was more than 100% of 15 Minnesota cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Duluth?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,885 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.19% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see duluthmn.gov.
Who runs Duluth’s government?
See duluthmn.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Duluth yet.
How did Duluth vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Duluth alone. St. Louis County, where 100% of Duluth lies, voted Harris 55.7%, Trump 42.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Duluth?
1,040 full-time and 154 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $7.8M (about $94.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Duluth in the state legislature?
Duluth is split among 3 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Minnesota Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Duluth’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 →