Photo: formulanone from Huntsville, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Braidwood spent less per resident in 2022 than 71% of similar cities
Braidwood’s city government spent $4.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2023, about $785 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Braidwood is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$731 per resident in 2022: less than 71% of them
Braidwood’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($731 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 166 Illinois cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $884, and the middle half spent $696–$1,158. Braidwood spent less than 71% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($551,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Illinois cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Braidwood itself left out).
About $785 per resident a year, or $2.15 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 50%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 8% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Braidwood 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: $731 · 2023: $785.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,686 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.82% 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 Braidwood’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 Braidwood’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Braidwood →
Who’s in charge in Braidwood
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 147 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (6,182).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Reed Custer Community Unit School District 255U
Braidwood’s K–12 school district, shared with Custer Township, Essex, Reed Township, Godley, Braceville and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $19,619 per pupil, $11,012 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.
Coal City Community Unit School District 1 · $16,202 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Braidwood’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Braidwood alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Will County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat49.1%162,874 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican47.6%157,672 votesOthers: 3.3% (11,024 votes).
Most votes in Will County: Kamala D Harris
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Braidwood lies in Will County; the rest in Grundy County. Every 2024 race in Will County is on the county’s page.
Will 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
Braidwood sends 4 representatives to the Illinois House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Illinois HouseBraidwood is split between 4 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 Braidwood compares with the towns next door
Braidwood spent $731 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $53 to $981. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Reed Township | $53 | $3,557 |
| Diamond | $553 | $3,304 |
| Braceville | $698 | $3,712 |
| Coal City | $981 | $4,226 |
| Braidwood | $731 | $3,686 |
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 Braidwood’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Braidwood’s government
How much does Braidwood spend per resident?
About $785 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $731 was less than 71% of 166 Illinois cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Braidwood?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,686 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.82% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Braidwood’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Braidwood yet.
How did Braidwood vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Braidwood alone. Will County, where 100% of Braidwood lies, voted Harris 49.1%, Trump 47.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Braidwood?
42 full-time and 15 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $264,766 (about $3.2M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Braidwood in the state legislature?
Braidwood is split among 4 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 Braidwood’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 →