Charles P. Noyes Cottage · Photo: Elkman · CC BY-SA 3.0White Bear Lake spent less per resident in 2022 than 72% of similar cities
White Bear Lake’s city government spent $27 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,146 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how White Bear Lake is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
5 upcoming meetings at town hall
From White Bear Lake’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov10City CouncilTuesday · 7:00 pm · City Council ChambersCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov24City CouncilTuesday · 7:00 pm · City Council ChambersCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec8City CouncilTuesday · 7:00 pm · City Council ChambersCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Jan12City CouncilTuesday · 7:00 pm · City Council ChambersCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Jan26City CouncilTuesday · 7:00 pm · City Council ChambersCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Oct13City CouncilTuesday · 7:00 pm · Council ChambersCity Council Meeting (2nd Tues.)Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $1,146 per resident a year, or $3.14 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 24%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$848 per resident in 2022: less than 72% of them
White Bear Lake’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($848 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 25 Minnesota cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,016, and the middle half spent $786–$1,129. White Bear Lake spent less than 72% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.6 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 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; White Bear Lake itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 25% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years White Bear Lake 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: $848 · 2024: $1,146. Per resident it went from $848 to $1,146 (up 35%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 25,495 to 23,588.
full-time in March 2025, up from 108 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 $3,576 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.08% 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 White Bear Lake’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 White Bear Lake’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in White Bear Lake →
Who’s in charge in White Bear Lake
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 216 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 (23,588).
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.
White Bear Lake School District
White Bear Lake’s K–12 school district, shared with Birchwood Village, Gem Lake, White Bear Township, Vadnais Heights, 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
White Bear Lake’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for White Bear Lake 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%
98% of White Bear Lake lies in Ramsey County; the rest in Washington 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 White Bear Lake.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: whitebearlake.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 White Bear Lake compares with the towns next door
White Bear Lake spent $848 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $431 to $1,030. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Mahtomedi | $431 | $4,875 |
| White Bear Township | $614 | $4,429 |
| Vadnais Heights | $653 | $4,039 |
| Maplewood | $903 | $3,929 |
| Gem Lake | $1,030 | $6,520 |
| White Bear Lake | $848 | $3,576 |
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 White Bear Lake’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about White Bear Lake’s government
How much does White Bear Lake spend per resident?
About $1,146 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 $848 was less than 72% of 25 Minnesota cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in White Bear Lake?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,576 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.08% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see whitebearlake.org.
Who runs White Bear Lake’s government?
See whitebearlake.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for White Bear Lake yet.
How did White Bear Lake vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for White Bear Lake alone. Ramsey County, where 98% of White Bear Lake lies, voted Harris 70.2%, Trump 27.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for White Bear Lake?
109 full-time and 54 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.0M (about $12.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents White Bear Lake 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.
When is the next public meeting in White Bear Lake?
The next posted meeting is City Council on Tuesday, November 10, at 7:00 pm in City Council Chambers, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about White Bear Lake’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 →