Photo: File:Chicago River ferry.jpg: John Picken derivative work: Georgfotoart · CC BY 2.0Chicago spent more per resident in 2022 than 99% of similar cities
Chicago’s city government spent $10.9 billion on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $4,093 per resident. Water and other utilities ($414.2 million) and the airport ($1.2 billion) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Chicago is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Chicago
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
About $4,093 per resident a year, or $11.21 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 42%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$3,168 per resident in 2022: more than 99% of them
Chicago’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($3,168 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 970 Illinois cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $656, and the middle half spent $413–$982. Chicago spent more than 99% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($265.1 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 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Chicago itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 29% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Chicago 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: $3,168 · 2023: $3,445 · 2024: $4,093.
full-time in March 2025, up from 29,512 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 $4,943 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.48% 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 Chicago’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 Chicago’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Chicago →
One full-time city employee for every 86 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 (2,665,039).
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.
Chicago Public School District 299
Chicago’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $24,330 per pupil, $15,614 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.
Maine Township High School District 207 · $29,333 per pupil
Township High School District 214 · $27,472 per pupil
Community High School District 218 · $25,321 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Chicago’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Chicago alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cook County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat68.9%1,447,821 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican27.8%583,852 votesOthers: 3.3% (70,005 votes).
Most votes in Cook County: Kamala D Harris
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Chicago lies in Cook County; the rest in DuPage County. Every 2024 race in Cook County is on the county’s page.
Cook 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
Chicago sends 33 representatives to the Illinois House alone.
- 1Your cityMayorBrandon Johnsonas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Illinois HouseChicago is split between 33 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 Chicago compares with the towns next door
No neighbor is close in size, so the comparison above uses Illinois cities that don’t run their own schools. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Elk Grove Township | $33 | $6,589 |
| Niles Township | $34 | $8,027 |
| Maine Township | $41 | $7,303 |
| Calumet Township | $56 | $4,447 |
| Leyden Township | $60 | $6,344 |
| Stickney Township | $250 | $5,960 |
| Rosemont | $18,825 | $7,384 |
| Worth Township | estimate | $5,787 |
| Schiller Park | estimate | $6,034 |
| Park Ridge | estimate | $10,000+ |
| Chicago | $3,168 | $4,943 |
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 Chicago’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Chicago’s government
How much does Chicago spend per resident?
About $4,093 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $3,168 was more than 99% of 970 Illinois cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Chicago?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,943 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.48% 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 is the mayor of Chicago?
Brandon Johnson, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026).
How did Chicago vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Chicago alone. Cook County, where 100% of Chicago lies, voted Harris 68.9%, Trump 27.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Chicago?
31,014 full-time and 1,008 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $285.0M (about $3.4B a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Chicago in the state legislature?
Chicago is split among 33 State House districts and 19 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 Chicago’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 →