Photo: User:Visviva · CC BY-SA 4.0Chatham spent less per resident in 2022 than 97% of similar cities
Chatham’s village government spent $5.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, about $406 per resident. Water and other utilities ($15.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Chatham is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
$406 per resident in 2022: less than 97% of them
Chatham’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($406 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 $1,105, and the middle half spent $796–$1,485. Chatham spent less than 97% of 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; Chatham itself left out).
About $406 per resident a year, or $1.11 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 59%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Chatham reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $4,866 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.00% 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 Chatham’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 Chatham’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Chatham →
Who’s in charge in Chatham
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Chatham’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The village posts agendas and minutes on chathamil.net ↗.
One full-time village employee for every 239 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 (13,159).
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.
Ball-Chatham Community Unit School District 5
Chatham’s K–12 school district, shared with Ball Township, Cotton Hill Township, Woodside Township, Chatham Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,190 per pupil, $6,141 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.
Auburn Community Unit School District 10 · $14,257 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Chatham’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Chatham alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Sangamon County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican50.9%50,979 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat46.0%46,074 votesOthers: 3.0% (3,046 votes).
Most votes in Sangamon County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Chatham lies in Sangamon County. Every 2024 race in Sangamon County is on the county’s page.
Sangamon 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 Chatham.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: chathamil.net ↗
- 2Illinois HouseChatham is split between 2 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 Chatham compares with the towns next door
Chatham spent $406 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $11 to $1,342. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Capital Township | $11 | $3,387 |
| Woodside Township | $103 | $2,619 |
| Springfield | $1,342 | $3,362 |
| Ball Township | estimate | $5,773 |
| Chatham Township | estimate | $3,881 |
| Chatham | $406 | $4,866 |
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 Chatham’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Chatham’s government
How much does Chatham spend per resident?
About $406 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $406 was less than 97% of 97 Illinois cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Chatham?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,866 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.00% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see chathamil.net.
Who runs Chatham’s government?
See chathamil.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Chatham yet.
How did Chatham vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Chatham alone. Sangamon County, where 100% of Chatham lies, voted Trump 50.9%, Harris 46.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Chatham?
55 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $313,894 (about $3.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Chatham in the state legislature?
Chatham is split among 2 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 Chatham’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 →