Photo: Paul Sableman · CC BY 2.0How is Columbia run?
Columbia’s city government spent $8.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, about $804 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Columbia didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Columbia is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $804 per resident a year, or $2.20 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Columbia didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Columbia yet
Every year of Columbia’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $5,356 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.83% 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 Columbia’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 Columbia’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Columbia →
Who’s in charge in Columbia
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Columbia’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on columbiaillinois.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 161 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 (10,627).
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.
Columbia Community Unit School District 4
Columbia’s K–12 school district, shared with Sugar Loaf Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,280 per pupil, $8,454 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Columbia’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Columbia alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Monroe County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.8%14,055 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat30.8%6,473 votesOthers: 2.4% (499 votes).
Most votes in Monroe County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
98% of Columbia lies in Monroe County; the rest in St. Clair County. Every 2024 race in Monroe County is on the county’s page.
Monroe 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 Columbia.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: columbiaillinois.com ↗
- 2Illinois HouseColumbia 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 Columbia compares with the towns next door
Columbia’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 0 of the 1 towns next door reported 2022 figures. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Dupo | estimate | $2,854 |
| Columbia | estimate | $5,356 |
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 Columbia’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Columbia’s government
How much does Columbia spend per resident?
About $804 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Columbia didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $21.1 million.
What is the property tax rate in Columbia?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,356 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.83% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see columbiaillinois.com.
Who runs Columbia’s government?
See columbiaillinois.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Columbia yet.
How did Columbia vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Columbia alone. Monroe County, where 98% of Columbia lies, voted Trump 66.8%, Harris 30.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Columbia?
66 full-time and 50 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $432,084 (about $5.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Columbia in the state legislature?
Columbia 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 Columbia’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 (for Columbia, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →