Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0How is Lancaster run?
Lancaster’s city government spent $307,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $939 per resident. Water and other utilities ($370,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Lancaster is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $939 per resident a year, or $2.57 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$939 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Lancaster’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($939 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 $1,112, and the middle half spent $740–$1,505. Lancaster spent less than 64% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($61,000), 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; Lancaster itself left out).
No trend yet
Lancaster reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,800 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.68% 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 Lancaster’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 Lancaster’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lancaster →
Who’s in charge in Lancaster
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 164 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (327).
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.
Lancaster Public School District
Lancaster’s K–12 school district, shared with Cannon Township, Poppleton Township, Richardville Township, St. Joseph Township, Caribou Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,183 per pupil, $11,257 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.
Lancaster’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lancaster alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Kittson County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican61.4%1,535 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat36.4%911 votesOthers: 2.2% (54 votes).
Most votes in Kittson County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Lancaster lies in Kittson County. Every 2024 race in Kittson County is on the county’s page.
Kittson 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 Lancaster.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Lancaster compares with the towns next door
Lancaster spent $939 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,250. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Granville Township | $1,250 | $2,400 |
| Poppleton Township | estimate | $2,917 |
| Lancaster | $939 | $1,800 |
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 Lancaster’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Lancaster’s government
How much does Lancaster spend per resident?
About $939 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $939 was less than 64% of 619 Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Lancaster?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,800 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.68% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Lancaster’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lancaster yet.
How did Lancaster vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lancaster alone. Kittson County, where 100% of Lancaster lies, voted Trump 61.4%, Harris 36.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Lancaster?
2 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $16,047 (about $192,564 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Lancaster in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Mark Johnson) and State House District 1A (John Burkel). The House district also covers 156 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lancaster’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 →