Photo: Billybob2002 · CC BY 4.0Bottineau spent more per resident in 2022 than 67% of similar cities
Bottineau’s city government spent $1.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $772 per resident. Water and other utilities ($623,000) and the airport ($110,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bottineau is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$892 per resident in 2022: more than 67% of them
Bottineau’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($892 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 157 North Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $730, and the middle half spent $500–$1,012. Bottineau spent more than 67% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($443,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
North Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bottineau itself left out).
About $772 per resident a year, or $2.12 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 12% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bottineau 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: $892 · 2023: $1,091 · 2024: $772.
full-time in March 2025, up from 14 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 $1,656 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.00% of the home’s value, vs 0.99% across North Dakota.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bottineau’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 Bottineau’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bottineau →
Who’s in charge in Bottineau
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bottineau’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on bottineau.govoffice.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 137 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 (2,186).
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.
Bottineau Public School District 1
Bottineau’s K–12 school district, shared with Amity Township, Cordelia Township, Dalen Township, Gardena, Homen Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,802 per pupil, $9,242 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.
North Dakota districts overall: 40% local, 46% state, 14% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Bottineau’s votes are counted by county
North Dakota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bottineau alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Bottineau County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican76.2%2,628 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat21.3%735 votesOthers: 2.4% (84 votes).
Most votes in Bottineau County: Donald J Trump
North Dakota: Trump 67.0%, Harris 30.5%
100% of Bottineau lies in Bottineau County. Every 2024 race in Bottineau County is on the county’s page.
Bottineau 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 Bottineau.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: bottineau.govoffice.com ↗
- 2North Dakota HouseState representatives
- 3North Dakota SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of North Dakota
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Bottineau compares with the towns next door
Bottineau spent $892 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Whitteron Township | $177 | $1,350 |
| Pickering Township | $232 | — |
| Bottineau | $892 | $1,656 |
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 Bottineau’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bottineau’s government
How much does Bottineau spend per resident?
About $772 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 $892 was more than 67% of 157 North Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bottineau?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,656 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.00% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.99% across North Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bottineau.govoffice.com.
Who runs Bottineau’s government?
See bottineau.govoffice.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bottineau yet.
How did Bottineau vote in 2024?
North Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bottineau alone. Bottineau County, where 100% of Bottineau lies, voted Trump 76.2%, Harris 21.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bottineau?
16 full-time and 15 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $64,510 (about $774,120 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bottineau in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Paul Thomas) and State House District 6 (Dan Vollmer and Dick Anderson). The House district also covers 170 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bottineau’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 →