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Farmers Store - Drake, North Dakota 10-16-2008Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Town Hall · Drake

How is Drake run?

Drake’s city government spent $264,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $989 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Drake didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Election Day

Today

General election in North Dakota.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$264,000
year to December 31, 2022 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2022
$989
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$318,000
end of 2022 · Census estimate
City staff, 2022
0
full-time · 11 part-time · March payroll $4,971 · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$465
0.62% of home value · ND 0.99%

What stands out about how Drake is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2022 budget

About $989 per resident a year, or $2.71 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 30%.

Where the money comes from
From the state 43%Interest, fines & other 17%Sales taxes 11%Fees & charges 11%Utility sales 11%Property taxes 7%
An estimate

Drake didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Building projects $70,000; interest on debt $18,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $419,000.
About “Other”.33% of Drake’s day-to-day spending ($86,000) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Drake yet

Every year of Drake’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $465 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.62% of the home’s value, vs 0.99% across North Dakota.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

North Dakota$2,468
Drake$465
$465
typical bill a year
0.62%
effective rate
$75,600
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Drake’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 Drake’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Drake →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Drake

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

Check Drake’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Drake yet.
The school district

Drake Public School District 57

Drake’s middle and high school district, shared with Balfour, Balfour Township, Cottonwood Lake Township, Dogden Township, Highland Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Drake →
$25,753
per pupil · ND $16,642
77
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $25,753 per pupil, $12,117 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 44%State 48%Federal 8%

North Dakota districts overall: 40% local, 46% state, 14% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Drake’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 Drake alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are McHenry County’s results.

President · McHenry County’s results2,752 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican80.8%2,223 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat17.4%479 votes

Others: 1.8% (50 votes).

Most votes in McHenry County: Donald J Trump

North Dakota: Trump 67.0%, Harris 30.5%

The county’s page

100% of Drake lies in McHenry County. Every 2024 race in McHenry County is on the county’s page.

McHenry County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Drake

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Drake.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    North Dakota HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    North Dakota SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of North Dakota

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Drake compares with the towns next door

Drake’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 1 of the 1 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $881 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Spring Grove Township$881—
Drakeestimate$465

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 Drake’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Drake’s government

How much does Drake spend per resident?

About $989 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Drake didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $419,000.

What is the property tax rate in Drake?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $465 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.62% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.99% across North Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.

Who runs Drake’s government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Drake yet.

How did Drake vote in 2024?

North Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Drake alone. McHenry County, where 100% of Drake lies, voted Trump 80.8%, Harris 17.4% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Drake?

0 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $4,971 (about $59,652 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Drake 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 Drake’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 (for Drake, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →