Photo: Brenda Riskey · Public domainGrand Forks spent more per resident in 2022 than 80% of similar cities
Grand Forks’ city government spent $72.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,238 per resident. Water and other utilities ($16.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Grand Forks is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,153 per resident in 2022: more than 80% of them
Grand Forks’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,153 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. Grand Forks spent more than 80% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($15.8 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; Grand Forks itself left out).
About $1,238 per resident a year, or $3.39 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 13% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Grand Forks 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: $1,153 · 2023: $1,096 · 2024: $1,238. Per resident it went from $1,153 to $1,238 (up 7%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 55,950 to 58,692.
full-time in March 2025, down from 564 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 $3,167 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.27% 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 Grand Forks’ 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 Grand Forks’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Grand Forks →
Who’s in charge in Grand Forks
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Grand Forks’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on grandforksgov.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 111 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 (58,692).
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.
Grand Forks Public School District 1
Grand Forks’ K–12 school district, shared with Grand Forks Township, Falconer Township, Walle Township, Rye Township, Mekinock Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,878 per pupil, $10,861 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.
Manvel Public School District 125 · $13,459 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Grand Forks’ votes are counted by county
North Dakota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Grand Forks alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Grand Forks County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican57.7%18,123 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.7%12,469 votesOthers: 2.6% (819 votes).
Most votes in Grand Forks County: Donald J Trump
North Dakota: Trump 67.0%, Harris 30.5%
100% of Grand Forks lies in Grand Forks County. Every 2024 race in Grand Forks County is on the county’s page.
Grand Forks 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
Grand Forks sends 8 representatives to the North Dakota House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: grandforksgov.com ↗
- 2North Dakota HouseGrand Forks is split between 4 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 Grand Forks compares with the towns next door
Grand Forks spent $1,153 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Falconer Township | $152 | $2,063 |
| Rye Township | $170 | $2,747 |
| Brenna Township | $173 | $2,490 |
| Grand Forks Township | $1,030 | $3,430 |
| Grand Forks | $1,153 | $3,167 |
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 Grand Forks’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Grand Forks’ government
How much does Grand Forks spend per resident?
About $1,238 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 $1,153 was more than 80% of 177 North Dakota cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Grand Forks?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,167 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.27% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.99% across North Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see grandforksgov.com.
Who runs Grand Forks’ government?
See grandforksgov.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Grand Forks yet.
How did Grand Forks vote in 2024?
North Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Grand Forks alone. Grand Forks County, where 100% of Grand Forks lies, voted Trump 57.7%, Harris 39.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Grand Forks?
529 full-time and 66 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.7M (about $44.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Grand Forks in the state legislature?
Grand Forks is split among 4 State House districts and 4 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 Grand Forks’ 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 →