Photo: Jon Platek · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Centralia run?
Centralia’s city government spent $15.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,251 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Centralia is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,251 per resident a year, or $3.43 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 18%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,251 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Centralia’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,251 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 97 Illinois cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,094, and the middle half spent $794–$1,485. Centralia spent more than 60% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.7 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Centralia itself left out).
No trend yet
Centralia reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,558 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.74% 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 Centralia’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 Centralia’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Centralia →
Who’s in charge in Centralia
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Centralia’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on city.centralia.il.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 132 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (12,142).
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.
Centralia High School District 200
Centralia’s high school district, shared with Brookside Township, Central City, Centralia Township, Grand Prairie Township, Irvington and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $21,397 per pupil, $12,253 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.
Centralia School District 135 · $19,365 per pupil
Willow Grove School District 46 · $17,185 per pupil
Central City School District 133 · $14,107 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Centralia’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Centralia alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Marion County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican73.8%12,409 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat24.5%4,116 votesOthers: 1.7% (284 votes).
Most votes in Marion County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
82% of Centralia lies in Marion County; the rest in Clinton County, Washington County, Jefferson County. Every 2024 race in Marion County is on the county’s page.
Marion 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 Centralia.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: city.centralia.il.us ↗
- 2Illinois HouseCentralia is split between 3 districts
- 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 Centralia compares with the towns next door
Centralia spent $1,251 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $26 to $674. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Brookside Township | $26 | $1,640 |
| Centralia Township | $48 | $1,599 |
| Wamac | $674 | $400 |
| Central City | estimate | $563 |
| Centralia | $1,251 | $1,558 |
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 Centralia’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Centralia’s government
How much does Centralia spend per resident?
About $1,251 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 $1,251 was more than 60% of 97 Illinois cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Centralia?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,558 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.74% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see city.centralia.il.us.
Who runs Centralia’s government?
See city.centralia.il.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Centralia yet.
How did Centralia vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Centralia alone. Marion County, where 82% of Centralia lies, voted Trump 73.8%, Harris 24.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Centralia?
92 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $504,914 (about $6.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Centralia in the state legislature?
Centralia is split among 3 State House districts and 2 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 Centralia’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 →