Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0How is Grafton run?
Grafton’s city government spent $3.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $790 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($6.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Grafton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $790 per resident a year, or $2.16 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$823 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Grafton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($823 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 171 North Dakota cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $756, and the middle half spent $502–$1,017. Grafton spent more than 60% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($763,000), 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Grafton itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 3% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Grafton 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: $823 · 2023: $790.
full-time in March 2025, the same as 35 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 $2,026 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.38% 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 Grafton’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 Grafton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Grafton →
Who’s in charge in Grafton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Grafton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on graftonnd.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 118 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 (4,139).
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.
Grafton Public School District 18
Grafton’s K–12 school district, shared with Grafton Township, Oakwood Township, St. Thomas, St. Thomas Township, Farmington Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,077 per pupil, $6,805 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.
Grafton’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 Grafton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Walsh County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican70.9%3,186 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat26.1%1,173 votesOthers: 3.0% (137 votes).
Most votes in Walsh County: Donald J Trump
North Dakota: Trump 67.0%, Harris 30.5%
100% of Grafton lies in Walsh County. Every 2024 race in Walsh County is on the county’s page.
Walsh 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 Grafton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: graftonnd.gov ↗
- 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 Grafton compares with the towns next door
Grafton spent $823 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $167. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Oakwood Township | $167 | $907 |
| Grafton Township | estimate | $1,574 |
| Grafton | $823 | $2,026 |
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 Grafton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Grafton’s government
How much does Grafton spend per resident?
About $790 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 $823 was more than 60% of 171 North Dakota cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Grafton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,026 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.38% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.99% across North Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see graftonnd.gov.
Who runs Grafton’s government?
See graftonnd.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Grafton yet.
How did Grafton vote in 2024?
North Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Grafton alone. Walsh County, where 100% of Grafton lies, voted Trump 70.9%, Harris 26.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Grafton?
35 full-time and 25 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $257,471 (about $3.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Grafton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 19 (Janne Myrdal) and State House District 19 (Dave Monson and Karen Anderson). The House district also covers 87 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Grafton’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 →