John C. Nutting House · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0Northfield runs its own hospital
Northfield’s city government spent $28.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,378 per resident. It also runs a hospital ($136.1 million) and water utilities ($2.2 million), counted separately. Census Bureau figures.
What stands out about how Northfield is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,378 per resident a year, or $3.78 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,192 per resident in 2022: more than 72% of them
Northfield’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,192 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–$1,242. Northfield spent more than 72% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($5.1 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Northfield itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 17% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Northfield 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: $1,192 · 2023: $1,382 · 2024: $1,378.
full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), up from 105 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 $4,522 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.37% 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 Northfield’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 Northfield’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Northfield →
Who’s in charge in Northfield
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Northfield’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.northfield.mn.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 176 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
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 (20,924).
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.
Northfield Public School District
Northfield’s K–12 school district, shared with Dundas, Greenvale Township, Northfield Township, Bridgewater Township, Waterford Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,659 per pupil, $11,447 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.
Northfield’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Northfield 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%
94% of Northfield lies in Rice County; the rest in Dakota 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 Northfield.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.northfield.mn.us ↗
- 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 Northfield compares with the towns next door
Northfield spent $1,192 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Northfield Township | $292 | $3,637 |
| Bridgewater Township | $324 | $4,144 |
| Greenvale Township | $375 | $4,944 |
| Waterford Township | $530 | $3,370 |
| Dundas | $1,264 | $4,271 |
| Northfield | $1,192 | $4,522 |
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 Northfield’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Northfield’s government
How much does Northfield spend per resident?
About $1,378 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. Northfield also runs a hospital ($136.1 million), counted separately. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,192 was more than 72% of 51 Minnesota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Northfield?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,522 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.37% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.northfield.mn.us.
Who runs Northfield’s government?
See ci.northfield.mn.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Northfield yet.
How did Northfield vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Northfield alone. Rice County, where 94% of Northfield lies, voted Trump 50.2%, Harris 47.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Northfield?
119 full-time and 586 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 231 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $6.6M (about $79.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Northfield 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 Northfield’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 →