Photo: Gabriel Vanslette · CC BY 3.0Vadnais Heights spent less per resident in 2022 than 84% of similar cities
Vadnais Heights’ city government spent $9.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $766 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Vadnais Heights is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$653 per resident in 2022: less than 84% of them
Vadnais Heights’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($653 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 51 Minnesota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $995, and the middle half spent $708–$1,242. Vadnais Heights spent less than 84% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Vadnais Heights itself left out).
About $766 per resident a year, or $2.10 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 7% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Vadnais Heights 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: $653 · 2023: $766. Per resident it went from $653 to $766 (up 17%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 13,796 to 12,623.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,039 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.11% 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 Vadnais Heights’ 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 Vadnais Heights’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Vadnais Heights →
Who’s in charge in Vadnais Heights
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Vadnais Heights’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityvadnaisheights.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 505 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (12,623).
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.
White Bear Lake School District
Vadnais Heights’ K–12 school district, shared with Birchwood Village, Gem Lake, White Bear Lake, White Bear Township, North Oaks and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,146 per pupil, $10,373 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.
Mounds View Public School District · $16,097 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Vadnais Heights’ votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Vadnais Heights alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Ramsey County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat70.2%195,168 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican27.1%75,284 votesOthers: 2.7% (7,573 votes).
Most votes in Ramsey County: Kamala D Harris
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Vadnais Heights lies in Ramsey County. Every 2024 race in Ramsey County is on the county’s page.
Ramsey 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 Vadnais Heights.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityvadnaisheights.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 Vadnais Heights compares with the towns next door
Vadnais Heights spent $653 per resident in 2022; the 7 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $274 to $1,031. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| North Oaks | $274 | $7,964 |
| White Bear Township | $614 | $4,429 |
| Little Canada | $691 | $3,309 |
| White Bear Lake | $848 | $3,576 |
| Maplewood | $903 | $3,929 |
| Gem Lake | $1,030 | $6,520 |
| Shoreview | $1,031 | $4,717 |
| Vadnais Heights | $653 | $4,039 |
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 Vadnais Heights’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Vadnais Heights’ government
How much does Vadnais Heights spend per resident?
About $766 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $653 was less than 84% of 51 Minnesota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Vadnais Heights?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,039 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.11% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityvadnaisheights.com.
Who runs Vadnais Heights’ government?
See cityvadnaisheights.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Vadnais Heights yet.
How did Vadnais Heights vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Vadnais Heights alone. Ramsey County, where 100% of Vadnais Heights lies, voted Harris 70.2%, Trump 27.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Vadnais Heights?
25 full-time and 51 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $255,031 (about $3.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Vadnais Heights in the state legislature?
State Senate District 36 (Heather Gustafson) and State House District 36B (Brion Curran). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Vadnais Heights’ 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 →