Winona and St. Peter Freight Depot · Photo: Jatakuck · CC BY-SA 3.0Sleepy Eye runs its own hospital
Sleepy Eye’s city government spent $4.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,280 per resident. It also runs a hospital ($20.1 million) and water utilities ($4.5 million), counted separately. Census Bureau figures.
What stands out about how Sleepy Eye is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,280 per resident a year, or $3.51 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,234 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Sleepy Eye’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,234 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–$1,405. Sleepy Eye spent more than 60% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($704,000), 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; Sleepy Eye itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 7% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Sleepy Eye 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: $1,234 · 2023: $1,280.
full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), up from 29 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 $1,453 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 Sleepy Eye’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 Sleepy Eye’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sleepy Eye →
Who’s in charge in Sleepy Eye
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Sleepy Eye’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on sleepyeye-mn.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 114 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 2023 finance file (3,428).
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.
Sleepy Eye Public School District
Sleepy Eye’s K–12 school district, shared with Evan, Stark Township, Home Township, Prairieville Township, Leavenworth Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,792 per pupil, $9,111 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.
Sleepy Eye’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sleepy Eye alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Brown County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.4%9,692 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat31.3%4,576 votesOthers: 2.3% (330 votes).
Most votes in Brown County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Sleepy Eye lies in Brown County. Every 2024 race in Brown County is on the county’s page.
Brown 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 Sleepy Eye.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: sleepyeye-mn.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.
Reach Sleepy Eye’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Sleepy Eye’s government
How much does Sleepy Eye spend per resident?
About $1,280 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. Sleepy Eye also runs a hospital ($20.1 million), counted separately. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,234 was more than 60% of 133 Minnesota cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Sleepy Eye?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,453 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 sleepyeye-mn.com.
Who runs Sleepy Eye’s government?
See sleepyeye-mn.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sleepy Eye yet.
How did Sleepy Eye vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sleepy Eye alone. Brown County, where 100% of Sleepy Eye lies, voted Trump 66.4%, Harris 31.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Sleepy Eye?
30 full-time and 44 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 108 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $1.2M (about $14.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Sleepy Eye in the state legislature?
State Senate District 15 (Gary Dahms) and State House District 15B (Paul Torkelson). The House district also covers 65 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Sleepy Eye’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 →