Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0Fargo spent more per resident in 2022 than 76% of similar cities
Fargo’s city government spent $161.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,231 per resident. Water and other utilities ($30.6 million) and the airport ($9.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Fargo is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,088 per resident in 2022: more than 76% of them
Fargo’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,088 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 177 North Dakota cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $774, and the middle half spent $510–$1,045. Fargo spent more than 76% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($17.8 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 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Fargo itself left out).
About $1,231 per resident a year, or $3.37 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 16%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 19% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Fargo 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: $1,088 · 2023: $1,185 · 2024: $1,231. Per resident it went from $1,088 to $1,231 (up 13%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 125,209 to 131,444.
full-time in March 2025, up from 1,003 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 $3,492 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.24% 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 Fargo’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 Fargo’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Fargo →
Who’s in charge in Fargo
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Fargo’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.fargo.nd.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 127 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 (131,444).
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.
Fargo Public School District 1
Fargo’s K–12 school district, shared with Briarwood, Frontier, North River, Prairie Rose, Stanley Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,846 per pupil, $11,632 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.
West Fargo Public School District 6 · $14,624 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Fargo’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 Fargo alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cass County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican52.7%47,873 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat44.4%40,304 votesOthers: 2.9% (2,674 votes).
Most votes in Cass County: Donald J Trump
North Dakota: Trump 67.0%, Harris 30.5%
100% of Fargo lies in Cass County. Every 2024 race in Cass County is on the county’s page.
Cass 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
Fargo sends 18 representatives to the North Dakota House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.fargo.nd.us ↗
- 2North Dakota HouseFargo is split between 9 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.
How Fargo compares with the towns next door
Fargo spent $1,088 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $500 to $1,100. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Briarwood | $500 | $6,364 |
| Horace | $774 | $4,807 |
| West Fargo | $1,100 | $3,959 |
| Stanley Township | estimate | $6,234 |
| Reed Township | estimate | $3,447 |
| Frontier | estimate | $3,969 |
| Pleasant Township | estimate | $3,030 |
| Fargo | $1,088 | $3,492 |
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 Fargo’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Fargo’s government
How much does Fargo spend per resident?
About $1,231 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 $1,088 was more than 76% of 177 North Dakota cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Fargo?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,492 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.24% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.99% across North Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.fargo.nd.us.
Who runs Fargo’s government?
See ci.fargo.nd.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Fargo yet.
How did Fargo vote in 2024?
North Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fargo alone. Cass County, where 100% of Fargo lies, voted Trump 52.7%, Harris 44.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Fargo?
1,038 full-time and 286 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $7.9M (about $94.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Fargo in the state legislature?
Fargo is split among 9 State House districts and 9 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 Fargo’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 →