Lonsdale Public School · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0Lonsdale spent less per resident in 2022 than 68% of similar cities
Lonsdale’s city government spent $3.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $779 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Lonsdale is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$859 per resident in 2022: less than 68% of them
Lonsdale’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($859 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 $1,081, and the middle half spent $815–$1,405. Lonsdale spent less than 68% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($903,000), 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; Lonsdale itself left out).
About $779 per resident a year, or $2.13 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 4% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Lonsdale 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: $859 · 2023: $757 · 2024: $779. Per resident it went from $859 to $779 (down 9%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 4,299 to 4,910.
full-time in March 2025, up from 19 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 $3,726 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.04% 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 Lonsdale’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 Lonsdale’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lonsdale →
Who’s in charge in Lonsdale
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Lonsdale’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on lonsdale.govoffice.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 223 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 (4,910).
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.
Tri-City United School District
Lonsdale’s K–12 school district, shared with Heidelberg, Le Center, Lexington Township, Montgomery, Montgomery Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,049 per pupil, $8,836 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.
New Prague Area Schools · $12,371 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Lonsdale’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lonsdale alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Rice County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican50.2%18,264 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat47.7%17,353 votesOthers: 2.2% (795 votes).
Most votes in Rice County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Lonsdale lies in Rice County. Every 2024 race in Rice County is on the county’s page.
Rice 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 Lonsdale.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: lonsdale.govoffice.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 Lonsdale compares with the towns next door
Lonsdale spent $859 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wheatland Township | $233 | $3,088 |
| Webster Township | $237 | $4,018 |
| Lonsdale | $859 | $3,726 |
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 Lonsdale’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Lonsdale’s government
How much does Lonsdale spend per resident?
About $779 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 $859 was less than 68% of 133 Minnesota cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Lonsdale?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,726 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.04% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see lonsdale.govoffice.com.
Who runs Lonsdale’s government?
See lonsdale.govoffice.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lonsdale yet.
How did Lonsdale vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lonsdale alone. Rice County, where 100% of Lonsdale lies, voted Trump 50.2%, Harris 47.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Lonsdale?
22 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $170,146 (about $2.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Lonsdale in the state legislature?
State Senate District 58 (Bill Lieske) and State House District 58A (Kristi Pursell). The House district also covers nine other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lonsdale’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 →