Photo: Brad Mellema · CC BY-SA 4.0Grand Island spent more per resident in 2022 than 74% of similar cities
Grand Island’s city government spent $117.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $2,241 per resident. Water and other utilities ($108.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Grand Island is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,473 per resident in 2022: more than 74% of them
Grand Island’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,473 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 521 Nebraska cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,069, and the middle half spent $802–$1,491. Grand Island spent more than 74% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($23.9 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 →
Nebraska cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Grand Island itself left out).
About $2,241 per resident a year, or $6.14 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 57% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Grand Island 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: $1,473 · 2023: $1,422 · 2024: $2,241.
full-time in March 2025, up from 494 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 $3,138 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.44% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Grand Island’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 Grand Island’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Grand Island →
Who’s in charge in Grand Island
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Grand Island’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on grand-island.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 100 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 (52,513).
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 Island Public Schools
Grand Island’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,130 per pupil, $9,296 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.
Nebraska districts overall: 56% local, 34% state, 10% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Grand Island’s votes are counted by county
Nebraska reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Grand Island alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Hall County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican68.3%15,566 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat30.5%6,956 votesOthers: 1.2% (282 votes).
Most votes in Hall County: Donald J Trump
Nebraska: Trump 59.3%, Harris 38.9%
100% of Grand Island lies in Hall County. Every 2024 race in Hall County is on the county’s page.
Hall 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 Grand Island.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: grand-island.com ↗
- 2Nebraska SenateState senator
- 3GovernorStatewide
- 4U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 5U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Nebraska
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Grand Island’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Grand Island’s government
How much does Grand Island spend per resident?
About $2,241 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,473 was more than 74% of 521 Nebraska cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Grand Island?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,138 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.44% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see grand-island.com.
Who runs Grand Island’s government?
See grand-island.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Grand Island yet.
How did Grand Island vote in 2024?
Nebraska counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Grand Island alone. Hall County, where 100% of Grand Island lies, voted Trump 68.3%, Harris 30.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Grand Island?
526 full-time and 43 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.2M (about $50.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Grand Island in the state legislature?
Grand Island is split among 3 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Nebraska Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Grand Island’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 →