Calumet Hotel · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0Pipestone spent more per resident in 2022 than 84% of similar cities
Pipestone’s city government spent $6.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,618 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.7 million) and the airport ($218,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Pipestone is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,675 per resident in 2022: more than 84% of them
Pipestone’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,675 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. Pipestone spent more than 84% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.5 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; Pipestone itself left out).
About $1,618 per resident a year, or $4.43 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending has held about steady since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Pipestone 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: $1,675 · 2023: $1,554 · 2024: $1,618.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,121 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.98% 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 Pipestone’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 Pipestone’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Pipestone →
Who’s in charge in Pipestone
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Pipestone’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on pipestoneminnesota.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 173 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 (4,163).
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.
Pipestone Area School District
Pipestone’s K–12 school district, shared with Altona Township, Eden Township, Holland, Ihlen, Jasper and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,364 per pupil, $9,586 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.
Pipestone’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Pipestone alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Pipestone County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican73.1%3,537 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat25.1%1,215 votesOthers: 1.8% (85 votes).
Most votes in Pipestone County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Pipestone lies in Pipestone County. Every 2024 race in Pipestone County is on the county’s page.
Pipestone 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 Pipestone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: pipestoneminnesota.com ↗
- 2Minnesota HouseState representativesDistrict 21A
- 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 Pipestone compares with the towns next door
Pipestone spent $1,675 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Gray Township | $330 | $1,653 |
| Sweet Township | $346 | $1,470 |
| Pipestone | $1,675 | $1,121 |
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 Pipestone’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Pipestone’s government
How much does Pipestone spend per resident?
About $1,618 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 $1,675 was more than 84% of 133 Minnesota cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Pipestone?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,121 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.98% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see pipestoneminnesota.com.
Who runs Pipestone’s government?
See pipestoneminnesota.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Pipestone yet.
How did Pipestone vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Pipestone alone. Pipestone County, where 100% of Pipestone lies, voted Trump 73.1%, Harris 25.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Pipestone?
24 full-time and 34 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $152,206 (about $1.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Pipestone in the state legislature?
State Senate District 21 (Bill Weber) and State House District 21A. The House district also covers 119 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Pipestone’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 →