Grand Army of the Republic Hall · Photo: Elkman · CC BY-SA 3.0Litchfield spent more per resident in 2022 than 80% of similar cities
Litchfield’s city government spent $11.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,797 per resident. Water and other utilities ($10.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Litchfield is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,599 per resident in 2022: more than 80% of them
Litchfield’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,599 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. Litchfield spent more than 80% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2 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; Litchfield itself left out).
About $1,797 per resident a year, or $4.92 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 11% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Litchfield 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: $1,599 · 2023: $1,727 · 2024: $1,797.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,864 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.99% 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 Litchfield’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 Litchfield’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Litchfield →
Who’s in charge in Litchfield
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 161 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (6,602).
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.
Litchfield Public School District
Litchfield’s K–12 school district, shared with Forest City Township, Kingston, Litchfield Township, Darwin, Greenleaf Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,604 per pupil, $8,926 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.
Litchfield’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Litchfield alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Meeker County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican70.4%9,645 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat27.8%3,802 votesOthers: 1.8% (247 votes).
Most votes in Meeker County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Litchfield lies in Meeker County. Every 2024 race in Meeker County is on the county’s page.
Meeker 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 Litchfield.
- 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 Litchfield compares with the towns next door
Litchfield spent $1,599 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $623. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Darwin Township | $623 | $2,664 |
| Litchfield Township | estimate | $3,078 |
| Litchfield | $1,599 | $1,864 |
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 Litchfield’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Litchfield’s government
How much does Litchfield spend per resident?
About $1,797 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 $1,599 was more than 80% of 133 Minnesota cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Litchfield?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,864 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.99% 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 Litchfield’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Litchfield yet.
How did Litchfield vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Litchfield alone. Meeker County, where 100% of Litchfield lies, voted Trump 70.4%, Harris 27.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Litchfield?
41 full-time and 26 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $264,053 (about $3.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Litchfield in the state legislature?
State Senate District 16 (Andrew Lang) and State House District 16A (Scott Van Binsbergen). The House district also covers 80 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Litchfield’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 →