Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0How is Wishek run?
Wishek’s city government spent $687,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $791 per resident. Water and other utilities ($543,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Wishek is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $791 per resident a year, or $2.17 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 51%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$791 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Wishek’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($791 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–$1,012. Wishek spent more than 56% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($352,000), 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; Wishek itself left out).
No trend yet
Wishek reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, the same as 15 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $1,324 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.32% 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 Wishek’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 Wishek’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wishek →
Who’s in charge in Wishek
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Wishek’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on wishek-nd.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 58 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 (869).
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.
Wishek Public School District 19
Wishek’s K–12 school district, shared with Lehr, Red Lake Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,675 per pupil, $9,979 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.
Wishek’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 Wishek alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are McIntosh County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican81.4%1,132 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat16.5%229 votesOthers: 2.1% (29 votes).
Most votes in McIntosh County: Donald J Trump
North Dakota: Trump 67.0%, Harris 30.5%
100% of Wishek lies in McIntosh County. Every 2024 race in McIntosh County is on the county’s page.
McIntosh 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 Wishek.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: wishek-nd.com ↗
- 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.
Reach Wishek’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Wishek’s government
How much does Wishek spend per resident?
About $791 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 $791 was more than 56% of 157 North Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Wishek?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,324 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.32% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.99% across North Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see wishek-nd.com.
Who runs Wishek’s government?
See wishek-nd.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wishek yet.
How did Wishek vote in 2024?
North Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wishek alone. McIntosh County, where 100% of Wishek lies, voted Trump 81.4%, Harris 16.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Wishek?
15 full-time and 4 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $75,911 (about $910,932 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Wishek in the state legislature?
State Senate District 28 (Robert Erbele) and State House District 28 (Jim Grueneich and Mike Brandenburg). The House district also covers 122 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wishek’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 →