Photo: Bradley Furlow · CC BY-SA 4.0Carbondale spent more per resident in 2022 than 98% of similar cities
Carbondale’s city government spent $36.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2024, about $1,700 per resident.
What stands out about how Carbondale is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
6 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Carbondale’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov11Planning CommissionWednesday · 6:00 pm · 200 South Illinois AvenuePlanning Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov16Preservation CommissionMonday · 5:30 pm · 200 South Illinois AvenuePreservation Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov17Local Liquor Control CommissionTuesday · 6:00 pm · 200 South Illinois AvenueMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov17City CouncilTuesday · 6:00 pm · 200 South Illinois AvenueCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov25Sustainability CommissionWednesday · 6:00 pm · 200 South Illinois AvenuePlanning Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov25Sustainability CommissionWednesday · 6:00 pm · 200 South Illinois AvenuePlanning Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Oct28Planning Commission /Zoning Board of AppealsWednesday · 6:00 pm · 200 South Illinois AvenueZoning Board of Appeals 28 October 2026Agenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct28Planning Commission /Zoning Board of AppealsWednesday · 6:00 pm · 200 South Illinois AvenueZoning Board of AppealsMeeting page ↗
- Oct28Planning CommissionWednesday · 6:00 pm · 200 South Illinois AvenuePlanning Commission MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct27City CouncilTuesday · 6:00 pm · 200 South Illinois AvenueCity Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct27City CouncilTuesday · 6:00 pm · 200 South Illinois AvenueLocal Liquor Control CommissionAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $1,700 per resident a year, or $4.66 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$2,763 per resident in 2022: more than 98% of them
Carbondale’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,763 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 44 Illinois cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,143, and the middle half spent $937–$1,489. Carbondale spent more than 98% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.2 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 →
Illinois cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Carbondale itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 47% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Carbondale 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: $2,763 · 2024: $1,700. Per resident it went from $2,763 to $1,700 (down 38%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 25,036 to 21,717.
full-time in March 2025, up from 224 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 $3,166 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.48% 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 Carbondale’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 Carbondale’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Carbondale →
Who’s in charge in Carbondale
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 85 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 (21,717).
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.
Carbondale Community High School District 165
Carbondale’s high school district, shared with Carbondale Township, De Soto Township, De Soto, Makanda Township, Makanda and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $22,399 per pupil, $12,045 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.
Carbondale Elementary School District 95 · $19,629 per pupil
Unity Point Community Consolidated School District 140 · $14,579 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Carbondale’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Carbondale alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Jackson County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat50.2%11,394 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican46.7%10,614 votesOthers: 3.1% (708 votes).
Most votes in Jackson County: Kamala D Harris
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Carbondale lies in Jackson County; the rest in Williamson County. Every 2024 race in Jackson County is on the county’s page.
Jackson 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 Carbondale.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: explorecarbondale.com ↗
- 2Illinois HouseState representatives
- 3Illinois SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Illinois
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Carbondale compares with the towns next door
Carbondale spent $2,763 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Carbondale Township | $43 | $3,328 |
| Murphysboro Township | $72 | $2,198 |
| Carbondale | $2,763 | $3,166 |
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 Carbondale’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Carbondale’s government
How much does Carbondale spend per resident?
About $1,700 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 $2,763 was more than 98% of 44 Illinois cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Carbondale?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,166 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.48% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see explorecarbondale.com.
Who runs Carbondale’s government?
See explorecarbondale.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Carbondale yet.
How did Carbondale vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Carbondale alone. Jackson County, where 100% of Carbondale lies, voted Harris 50.2%, Trump 46.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Carbondale?
255 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.5M (about $17.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Carbondale in the state legislature?
State Senate District 59 (Paul Jacobs) and State House District 118 (Scott Doody). The House district also covers 41 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Carbondale?
The next posted meeting is Planning Commission on Wednesday, November 11, at 6:00 pm in 200 South Illinois Avenue, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Carbondale’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 →