Photo: Jeanqueq · CC BY-SA 4.0Prior Lake spent less per resident in 2022 than 92% of similar cities
Prior Lake’s city government spent $19.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $704 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Prior Lake is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$617 per resident in 2022: less than 92% of them
Prior Lake’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($617 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 25 Minnesota cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,016, and the middle half spent $848–$1,129. Prior Lake spent less than 92% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.6 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 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Prior Lake itself left out).
About $704 per resident a year, or $1.93 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 18% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Prior Lake 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: $617 · 2024: $704.
full-time in March 2025, up from 92 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 $4,467 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 Prior Lake’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 Prior Lake’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Prior Lake →
Who’s in charge in Prior Lake
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Prior Lake’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofpriorlake.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 245 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 (28,133).
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.
Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools
Prior Lake’s K–12 school district, shared with Spring Lake Township, Savage, Credit River. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,061 per pupil, $9,165 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.
Shakopee Public School District · $15,217 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Prior Lake’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Prior Lake alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Scott County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican53.1%47,837 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat44.6%40,214 votesOthers: 2.3% (2,090 votes).
Most votes in Scott County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Prior Lake lies in Scott County. Every 2024 race in Scott County is on the county’s page.
Scott 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 Prior Lake.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofpriorlake.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 Prior Lake compares with the towns next door
Prior Lake spent $617 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $212 to $1,017. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Spring Lake Township | $212 | $4,815 |
| Credit River | $285 | $4,934 |
| Savage | $613 | $4,458 |
| Shakopee | $1,017 | $3,700 |
| Prior Lake | $617 | $4,467 |
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 Prior Lake’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Prior Lake’s government
How much does Prior Lake spend per resident?
About $704 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 $617 was less than 92% of 25 Minnesota cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Prior Lake?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,467 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 cityofpriorlake.com.
Who runs Prior Lake’s government?
See cityofpriorlake.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Prior Lake yet.
How did Prior Lake vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Prior Lake alone. Scott County, where 100% of Prior Lake lies, voted Trump 53.1%, Harris 44.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Prior Lake?
115 full-time and 46 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.0M (about $12.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Prior Lake in the state legislature?
State Senate District 54 (Eric Pratt) and State House District 54B (Ben Bakeberg). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Prior Lake’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 →