Photo: Cosmo1976 · Public domainHow is Crystal Lake run?
Crystal Lake’s city government spent $54.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2024, about $1,346 per resident. Water and other utilities ($5.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Crystal Lake is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Community High School District 155
Crystal Lake’s high school district, shared with Algonquin Township, Cary, Cuba Township, Dorr Township, Fox River Grove and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $25,105 per pupil, $15,574 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.
Crystal Lake Community Consolidated School District 47 · $17,506 per pupil
Woodstock Community Unit School District 200 · $19,827 per pupil
Prairie Grove Community School District 46 · $19,741 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $1,346 per resident a year, or $3.69 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,273 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Crystal Lake’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,273 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–$1,570. Crystal Lake spent more than 59% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3 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; Crystal Lake itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 8% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Crystal Lake 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: $1,273 · 2023: $1,339 · 2024: $1,346.
full-time in March 2025, up from 249 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 $7,720 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 Crystal Lake’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 Crystal Lake’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Crystal Lake →
Who’s in charge in Crystal Lake
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Crystal Lake’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on crystallake.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 154 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 (40,661).
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.
Crystal Lake’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Crystal Lake alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are McHenry County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican51.3%83,933 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat46.1%75,370 votesOthers: 2.7% (4,363 votes).
Most votes in McHenry County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Crystal Lake lies in McHenry County. Every 2024 race in McHenry County is on the county’s page.
McHenry 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
Crystal Lake sends 4 representatives to the Illinois House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: crystallake.org ↗
- 2Illinois HouseCrystal Lake is split between 4 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 Crystal Lake compares with the towns next door
Crystal Lake spent $1,273 per resident in 2022; the 6 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $27 to $1,195. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Grafton Township | $27 | $8,637 |
| Dorr Township | $46 | $6,734 |
| Cary | $543 | $8,089 |
| Lake in the Hills | $627 | $7,430 |
| Prairie Grove | $716 | $10,000+ |
| Lakewood | $1,195 | $10,000+ |
| Crystal Lake | $1,273 | $7,720 |
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 Crystal Lake’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Crystal Lake’s government
How much does Crystal Lake spend per resident?
About $1,346 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 $1,273 was more than 59% of 44 Illinois cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Crystal Lake?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $7,720 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 crystallake.org.
Who runs Crystal Lake’s government?
See crystallake.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Crystal Lake yet.
How did Crystal Lake vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Crystal Lake alone. McHenry County, where 100% of Crystal Lake lies, voted Trump 51.3%, Harris 46.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Crystal Lake?
264 full-time and 61 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.5M (about $30.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Crystal Lake in the state legislature?
Crystal Lake is split among 4 State House districts and 3 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 Crystal Lake’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 →