Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0Grand Rapids spent more per resident in 2022 than 74% of similar cities
Grand Rapids’ city government spent $17.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,518 per resident. The airport ($327,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Grand Rapids is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,236 per resident in 2022: more than 74% of them
Grand Rapids’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,236 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–$1,220. Grand Rapids spent more than 74% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($572,000), 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Grand Rapids itself left out).
About $1,518 per resident a year, or $4.16 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 23% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Grand Rapids 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: $1,236 · 2024: $1,518.
full-time in March 2025, up from 75 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 $2,485 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.16% 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 Grand Rapids’ 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 Grand Rapids’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Grand Rapids →
Who’s in charge in Grand Rapids
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Grand Rapids’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofgrandrapidsmn.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 144 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 (11,268).
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.
Grand Rapids Public School District
Grand Rapids’ K–12 school district, shared with Alvwood Township, Arbo Township, Ardenhurst Township, Bearville Township, Bigfork and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,971 per pupil, $10,126 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.
Greenway Public School District · $17,377 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Grand Rapids’ votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Grand Rapids alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Itasca County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.1%15,863 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.0%10,467 votesOthers: 1.9% (510 votes).
Most votes in Itasca County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Grand Rapids lies in Itasca County. Every 2024 race in Itasca County is on the county’s page.
Itasca 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 Grand Rapids.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofgrandrapidsmn.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 Grand Rapids compares with the towns next door
Grand Rapids spent $1,236 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $152 to $1,068. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Arbo Township | $152 | $2,285 |
| Harris Township | $227 | $2,471 |
| La Prairie | $631 | $2,400 |
| Cohasset | $766 | $3,008 |
| Coleraine | $1,068 | $1,920 |
| Grand Rapids | $1,236 | $2,485 |
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 Grand Rapids’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Grand Rapids’ government
How much does Grand Rapids spend per resident?
About $1,518 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 $1,236 was more than 74% of 51 Minnesota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Grand Rapids?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,485 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.16% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofgrandrapidsmn.com.
Who runs Grand Rapids’ government?
See cityofgrandrapidsmn.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Grand Rapids yet.
How did Grand Rapids vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Grand Rapids alone. Itasca County, where 100% of Grand Rapids lies, voted Trump 59.1%, Harris 39.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Grand Rapids?
78 full-time and 24 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $566,198 (about $6.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Grand Rapids in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Keri Heintzeman) and State House District 6A (Ben Davis). The House district also covers 45 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Grand Rapids’ 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 →