Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0Wadena spent more per resident in 2022 than 92% of similar cities
Wadena’s city government spent $7.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,820 per resident. Water and other utilities ($8.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Wadena is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,899 per resident in 2022: more than 92% of them
Wadena’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,899 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–$1,375. Wadena spent more than 92% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.4 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Wadena itself left out).
About $1,820 per resident a year, or $4.99 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 1% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Wadena 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: $1,899 · 2024: $1,820. Per resident it went from $1,899 to $1,820 (down 4%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 4,121 to 4,352.
full-time in March 2025, down from 44 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 $1,493 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.93% 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 Wadena’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 Wadena’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wadena →
Who’s in charge in Wadena
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Wadena’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on wadena.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 101 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 (4,352).
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.
Wadena-Deer Creek School District
Wadena’s K–12 school district, shared with Bluffton, Compton Township, Deer Creek, Leaf River Township, Wadena Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,152 per pupil, $9,449 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.
Wadena’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wadena alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Wadena County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican74.9%6,028 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat23.6%1,898 votesOthers: 1.5% (121 votes).
Most votes in Wadena County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
97% of Wadena lies in Wadena County; the rest in Otter Tail County. Every 2024 race in Wadena County is on the county’s page.
Wadena 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 Wadena.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: wadena.org ↗
- 2Minnesota HouseWadena is split between 2 districts
- 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 Wadena compares with the towns next door
Wadena spent $1,899 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Leaf River Township | $146 | $2,556 |
| Wadena Township | $151 | $1,792 |
| Compton Township | $159 | $1,875 |
| Wadena | $1,899 | $1,493 |
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 Wadena’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Wadena’s government
How much does Wadena spend per resident?
About $1,820 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 $1,899 was more than 92% of 133 Minnesota cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Wadena?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,493 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.93% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see wadena.org.
Who runs Wadena’s government?
See wadena.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wadena yet.
How did Wadena vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wadena alone. Wadena County, where 97% of Wadena lies, voted Trump 74.9%, Harris 23.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Wadena?
43 full-time and 52 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $327,259 (about $3.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Wadena in the state legislature?
Wadena is split among 2 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Minnesota Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wadena’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 →