Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0Silver Lake spent more per resident in 2022 than 69% of similar cities
Silver Lake’s city government spent $1.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,481 per resident. Water and other utilities ($739,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Silver Lake is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,383 per resident in 2022: more than 69% of them
Silver Lake’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,383 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 619 Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,111, and the middle half spent $740–$1,505. Silver Lake spent more than 69% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($128,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Silver Lake itself left out).
About $1,481 per resident a year, or $4.06 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 15% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Silver 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: $1,383 · 2023: $1,383 · 2024: $1,481. Per resident it went from $1,383 to $1,481 (up 7%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 806 to 864.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,853 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.41% 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 Silver 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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Silver Lake’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Silver Lake →
Who’s in charge in Silver Lake
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Silver Lake’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofsilverlake.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 144 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 (864).
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.
Glencoe-Silver Lake School District
Silver Lake’s K–12 school district, shared with Biscay, Brownton, Glencoe, Glencoe Township, Hale Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,505 per pupil, $9,432 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.
Silver 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 Silver Lake alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are McLeod County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican67.9%14,394 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat30.1%6,374 votesOthers: 2.0% (431 votes).
Most votes in McLeod County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Silver Lake lies in McLeod County. Every 2024 race in McLeod County is on the county’s page.
McLeod 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 Silver Lake.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofsilverlake.org ↗
- 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.
Reach Silver Lake’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Silver Lake’s government
How much does Silver Lake spend per resident?
About $1,481 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 $1,383 was more than 69% of 619 Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Silver Lake?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,853 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.41% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofsilverlake.org.
Who runs Silver Lake’s government?
See cityofsilverlake.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Silver Lake yet.
How did Silver Lake vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Silver Lake alone. McLeod County, where 100% of Silver Lake lies, voted Trump 67.9%, Harris 30.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Silver Lake?
6 full-time and 19 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $41,480 (about $497,760 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Silver Lake in the state legislature?
State Senate District 17 (Glenn Gruenhagen) and State House District 17A (Dawn Gillman). The House district also covers 30 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Silver 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 →