Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0Dickinson spent more per resident in 2022 than 69% of similar cities
Dickinson’s city government spent $32.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,287 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($7.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Dickinson is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
$1,219 per resident in 2022: more than 69% of them
Dickinson’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,219 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 16 North Dakota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $980, and the middle half spent $805–$1,279. Dickinson spent more than 69% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($6.5 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 →
North Dakota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Dickinson itself left out).
About $1,287 per resident a year, or $3.53 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 13% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Dickinson 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: $1,219 · 2023: $1,287. Per resident it went from $1,219 to $1,287 (up 6%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 23,527 to 25,167.
full-time in March 2025, up from 186 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.
The typical homeowner pays $2,508 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.95% 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 Dickinson’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 Dickinson’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dickinson →
Recent meetings
From Dickinson’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
No upcoming meetings are posted yet.
Recent meetings
- Sep8GeneralTuesday · 6:00 pm · 38 1st St WTest EventMeeting page ↗
- Sep4GeneralFriday · 6:00 pmOne Time EventMeeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗Who’s in charge in Dickinson
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 132 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 2023 finance file (25,167).
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.
Dickinson Public School District 1
Dickinson’s K–12 school district, shared with Gladstone. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,709 per pupil, $9,631 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.
Dickinson’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 Dickinson alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Stark County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican81.6%12,323 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat16.4%2,473 votesOthers: 2.0% (304 votes).
Most votes in Stark County: Donald J Trump
North Dakota: Trump 67.0%, Harris 30.5%
100% of Dickinson lies in Stark County. Every 2024 race in Stark County is on the county’s page.
Stark 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
Dickinson sends 6 representatives to the North Dakota House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: dickinsonnd.com ↗
- 2North Dakota HouseDickinson is split between 3 districts
- 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.
Reach Dickinson’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Dickinson’s government
How much does Dickinson spend per resident?
About $1,287 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 $1,219 was more than 69% of 16 North Dakota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Dickinson?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,508 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.95% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.99% across North Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see dickinsonnd.com.
Who runs Dickinson’s government?
See dickinsonnd.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dickinson yet.
How did Dickinson vote in 2024?
North Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dickinson alone. Stark County, where 100% of Dickinson lies, voted Trump 81.6%, Harris 16.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Dickinson?
191 full-time and 64 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.3M (about $15.4M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Dickinson in the state legislature?
Dickinson is split among 3 State House districts and 3 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The North Dakota Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Dickinson’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 →