Photo: 123dieinafire · CC BY 3.0Wayzata spent more per resident in 2022 than 99% of similar cities
Wayzata’s city government spent $17.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $4,029 per resident. Water and other utilities ($7.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Wayzata is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$3,553 per resident in 2022: more than 99% of them
Wayzata’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($3,553 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. Wayzata spent more than 99% 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; Wayzata itself left out).
About $4,029 per resident a year, or $11.04 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: housing & development, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 7% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Wayzata 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: $3,553 · 2023: $3,801 · 2024: $4,029. Per resident it went from $3,553 to $4,029 (up 13%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 4,618 to 4,338.
full-time in March 2025, up from 57 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
Typical bills top $10,000 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Wayzata’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 Wayzata’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wayzata →
Who’s in charge in Wayzata
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Wayzata’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on wayzata.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 49 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (4,338).
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.
Wayzata Public School District
Wayzata’s K–12 school district, shared with Medicine Lake, Plymouth, Medina. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,977 per pupil, $9,247 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.
Orono Public School District · $15,366 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Wayzata’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wayzata alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Hennepin County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat69.8%502,710 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican27.4%197,244 votesOthers: 2.8% (20,219 votes).
Most votes in Hennepin County: Kamala D Harris
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Wayzata lies in Hennepin County. Every 2024 race in Hennepin County is on the county’s page.
Hennepin 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 Wayzata.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: wayzata.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.
How Wayzata compares with the towns next door
Wayzata spent $3,553 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $832 to $1,328. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Plymouth | $832 | $5,160 |
| Woodland | $914 | $10,000+ |
| Minnetonka | $921 | $5,285 |
| Deephaven | $1,143 | $10,000+ |
| Orono | $1,328 | $8,722 |
| Wayzata | $3,553 | $10,000+ |
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 Wayzata’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Wayzata’s government
How much does Wayzata spend per resident?
About $4,029 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 $3,553 was more than 99% of 133 Minnesota cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Wayzata’s government?
See wayzata.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wayzata yet.
How did Wayzata vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wayzata alone. Hennepin County, where 100% of Wayzata lies, voted Harris 69.8%, Trump 27.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Wayzata?
89 full-time and 69 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $636,506 (about $7.6M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Wayzata in the state legislature?
State Senate District 45 (Ann Johnson Stewart) and State House District 45B (Patty Acomb). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wayzata’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 →