Photo: Sea Cow · CC BY-SA 4.0Aurora spent less per resident in 2022 than 76% of similar cities
Aurora’s city government spent $252 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2024, about $1,417 per resident. Water and other utilities ($38.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Aurora is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,154 per resident in 2022: less than 76% of them
Aurora’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,154 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 21 Illinois cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,345, and the middle half spent $1,161–$1,546. Aurora spent less than 76% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Illinois cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Aurora itself left out).
About $1,417 per resident a year, or $3.88 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 37%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 11% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Aurora 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: $1,154 · 2023: $1,395 · 2024: $1,417. Per resident it went from $1,154 to $1,417 (up 23%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 196,383 to 177,866.
full-time in March 2025, up from 980 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 $6,263 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.28% of the home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Aurora’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 Aurora’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Aurora →
Who’s in charge in Aurora
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Aurora’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on aurora-il.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 168 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 2024 finance file (177,866).
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.
Indian Prairie Community Unit School District 204
Aurora’s K–12 school district, shared with Naperville Township, Naperville, Wheatland Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $19,401 per pupil, $12,384 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.
Illinois districts overall: 52% local, 38% state, 10% federal.
Aurora West Unit School District 129 · $17,236 per pupil
Aurora East Unit School District 131 · $19,119 per pupil
Oswego Community Unit School District 308 · $18,315 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Aurora’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Aurora alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Kane County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat54.0%120,077 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican44.6%99,260 votesOthers: 1.4% (3,027 votes).
Most votes in Kane County: Kamala D Harris
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
61% of Aurora lies in Kane County; the rest in DuPage County, Will County, Kendall County. Every 2024 race in Kane County is on the county’s page.
Kane 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
Aurora sends 5 representatives to the Illinois House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: aurora-il.org ↗
- 2Illinois HouseAurora is split between 5 districts
- 3Illinois SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Illinois
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Aurora compares with the towns next door
Aurora spent $1,154 per resident in 2022; the 9 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $40 to $1,206. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Naperville Township | $40 | $8,519 |
| Winfield Township | $68 | $6,767 |
| Oswego | $657 | $8,330 |
| Sugar Grove | $704 | $9,221 |
| Montgomery | $778 | $7,183 |
| North Aurora | $800 | $7,790 |
| Warrenville | $1,088 | $5,853 |
| Naperville | $1,147 | $10,000+ |
| Batavia | $1,206 | $8,963 |
| Aurora | $1,154 | $6,263 |
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 Aurora’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Aurora’s government
How much does Aurora spend per resident?
About $1,417 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,154 was less than 76% of 21 Illinois cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Aurora?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $6,263 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.28% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see aurora-il.org.
Who runs Aurora’s government?
See aurora-il.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Aurora yet.
How did Aurora vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Aurora alone. Kane County, where 61% of Aurora lies, voted Harris 54.0%, Trump 44.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Aurora?
1,059 full-time and 141 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $11.5M (about $138.6M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Aurora in the state legislature?
Aurora is split among 5 State House districts and 3 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Illinois Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Aurora’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 →