Photo: Johnnie Tran · CC BY-SA 3.0How is DeKalb run?
DeKalb’s city government spent $58 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,441 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4 million) and the airport ($1.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how DeKalb is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
DeKalb Community Unit School District 428
DeKalb’s K–12 school district, shared with Malta, DeKalb Township, Malta Township, Afton Township, Cortland and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $21,601 per pupil, $11,916 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.
Sycamore Community Unit School District 427 · $18,910 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $1,441 per resident a year, or $3.95 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,264 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
DeKalb’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,264 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. DeKalb spent more than 57% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2 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; DeKalb itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 8% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years DeKalb 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: $1,264 · 2023: $1,140 · 2024: $1,441. Per resident it went from $1,264 to $1,441 (up 14%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 42,621 to 40,220.
full-time in March 2025, up from 189 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 $5,607 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.74% 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 DeKalb’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 DeKalb’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in DeKalb →
Who’s in charge in DeKalb
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
DeKalb’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofdekalb.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 179 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 (40,220).
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.
DeKalb’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for DeKalb alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are DeKalb County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat49.5%23,648 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican47.5%22,716 votesOthers: 3.0% (1,421 votes).
Most votes in DeKalb County: Kamala D Harris
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of DeKalb lies in DeKalb County. Every 2024 race in DeKalb County is on the county’s page.
DeKalb 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 DeKalb.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofdekalb.com ↗
- 2Illinois HouseDeKalb 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 DeKalb compares with the towns next door
DeKalb spent $1,264 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $683. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
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 DeKalb’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about DeKalb’s government
How much does DeKalb spend per resident?
About $1,441 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,264 was more than 57% of 44 Illinois cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in DeKalb?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,607 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.74% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofdekalb.com.
Who runs DeKalb’s government?
See cityofdekalb.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for DeKalb yet.
How did DeKalb vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for DeKalb alone. DeKalb County, where 100% of DeKalb lies, voted Harris 49.5%, Trump 47.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for DeKalb?
225 full-time and 25 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.1M (about $25.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents DeKalb in the state legislature?
DeKalb is split among 3 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 DeKalb’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 →