Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5Granite Falls spent more per resident in 2022 than 83% of similar cities
Granite Falls’ city government spent $4.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,725 per resident. Water and other utilities ($5.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Granite Falls is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,656 per resident in 2022: more than 83% of them
Granite Falls’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,656 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 $1,074, and the middle half spent $815–$1,375. Granite Falls spent more than 83% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($863,000), 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Granite Falls itself left out).
About $1,725 per resident a year, or $4.73 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 19%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 6% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Granite Falls 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: $1,656 · 2023: $1,725.
full-time in March 2025, the same as 39 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 $1,931 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.41% 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 Granite Falls’ 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 Granite Falls’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Granite Falls →
Who’s in charge in Granite Falls
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Granite Falls’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on granitefalls.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 70 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 2023 finance file (2,713).
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.
Yellow Medicine East
Granite Falls’ K–12 school district, shared with Clarkfield, Echo, Friendship Township, Hanley Falls, Hazel Run and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,693 per pupil, $10,569 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.
Granite Falls’ votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Granite Falls alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Yellow Medicine County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.1%3,738 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat28.6%1,548 votesOthers: 2.3% (124 votes).
Most votes in Yellow Medicine County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
66% of Granite Falls lies in Yellow Medicine County; the rest in Chippewa County. Every 2024 race in Yellow Medicine County is on the county’s page.
Yellow Medicine 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 Granite Falls.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: granitefalls.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 Granite Falls compares with the towns next door
Granite Falls spent $1,656 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Falls Township | $284 | $1,630 |
| Stony Run Township | $373 | $1,991 |
| Granite Falls Township | $655 | $1,750 |
| Granite Falls | $1,656 | $1,931 |
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 Granite Falls’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Granite Falls’ government
How much does Granite Falls spend per resident?
About $1,725 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,656 was more than 83% of 133 Minnesota cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Granite Falls?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,931 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.41% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see granitefalls.com.
Who runs Granite Falls’ government?
See granitefalls.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Granite Falls yet.
How did Granite Falls vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Granite Falls alone. Yellow Medicine County, where 66% of Granite Falls lies, voted Trump 69.1%, Harris 28.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Granite Falls?
39 full-time and 36 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $251,777 (about $3.0M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Granite Falls 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 Granite Falls’ 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 →