Portal State Bank · Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0Portal spent more per resident in 2022 than 77% of similar cities
Portal’s city government spent $146,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,021 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($165,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Portal is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,021 per resident in 2022: more than 77% of them
Portal’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,021 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 157 North Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $730, and the middle half spent $500–$1,006. Portal spent more than 77% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($45,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Portal itself left out).
About $1,021 per resident a year, or $2.80 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Portal reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2024 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, the same as 1 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $564 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.65% 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 Portal’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 Portal’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Portal →
Who’s in charge in Portal
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 143 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 2022 finance file (143).
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.
Burke Central Public School District 36
Portal’s K–12 school district, shared with Columbus, Dale Township, Fay Township, Flaxton, Foothills Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $27,112 per pupil, $16,416 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.
Portal’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 Portal alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Burke County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican86.1%909 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat12.3%130 votesOthers: 1.6% (17 votes).
Most votes in Burke County: Donald J Trump
North Dakota: Trump 67.0%, Harris 30.5%
100% of Portal lies in Burke County. Every 2024 race in Burke County is on the county’s page.
Burke 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 Portal.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Portal compares with the towns next door
Portal spent $1,021 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Soo Township | $1,240 | — |
| Portal Township | $3,667 | $1,281 |
| Portal | $1,021 | $564 |
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 Portal’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Portal’s government
How much does Portal spend per resident?
About $1,021 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,021 was more than 77% of 157 North Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Portal?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $564 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.65% 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 Portal’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Portal yet.
How did Portal vote in 2024?
North Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Portal alone. Burke County, where 100% of Portal lies, voted Trump 86.1%, Harris 12.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Portal?
1 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $33,919 (about $407,028 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Portal in the state legislature?
State Senate District 2 (Mark Enget) and State House District 2 (Bert Anderson and Donald Longmuir). The House district also covers 139 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Portal’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 →