Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0Ulen spent more per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities
Ulen’s city government spent $5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $9,173 per resident. Water and other utilities ($564,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Ulen is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$9,173 per resident in 2022: more than 100% of them
Ulen’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($9,173 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–$1,504. Ulen spent more than 100% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($182,000), 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; Ulen itself left out).
About $9,173 per resident a year, or $25.13 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: health & welfare, at 90%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Ulen reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, down from 57 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $2,667 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.53% 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 Ulen’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 Ulen’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Ulen →
Who’s in charge in Ulen
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 136 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (544).
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.
Ulen-Hitterdal Public School District
Ulen’s K–12 school district, shared with Goose Prairie Township, Hitterdal, Ulen Township, Walworth Township, Keene Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,744 per pupil, $10,688 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.
Ulen’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ulen alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Clay County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat49.0%16,121 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican48.6%15,965 votesOthers: 2.4% (788 votes).
Most votes in Clay County: Kamala D Harris
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Ulen lies in Clay County. Every 2024 race in Clay County is on the county’s page.
Clay 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 Ulen.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Ulen compares with the towns next door
Ulen spent $9,173 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ulen Township | $513 | $2,581 |
| Ulen | $9,173 | $2,667 |
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 Ulen’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Ulen’s government
How much does Ulen spend per resident?
About $9,173 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $9,173 was more than 100% of 619 Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Ulen?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,667 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.53% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Ulen’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ulen yet.
How did Ulen vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ulen alone. Clay County, where 100% of Ulen lies, voted Harris 49.0%, Trump 48.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Ulen?
4 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $19,886 (about $238,632 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Ulen in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Mark Johnson) and State House District 1B (Steve Gander). The House district also covers 126 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Ulen’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 →