Photo: Anonymous · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Downers Grove run?
Downers Grove’s village government spent $69.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,408 per resident. Water and other utilities ($17.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Downers Grove is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $1,408 per resident a year, or $3.86 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 17%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,293 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Downers Grove’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,293 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. Downers Grove spent more than 61% of 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; Downers Grove itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 10% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Downers Grove 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: $1,293 · 2023: $1,411 · 2024: $1,408.
full-time in March 2025, up from 321 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $7,227 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.61% 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 Downers Grove’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 Downers Grove’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Downers Grove →
Who’s in charge in Downers Grove
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Downers Grove’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The village posts agendas and minutes on downers.us ↗.
One full-time village employee for every 145 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (49,354).
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.
Community High School District 99
Downers Grove’s high school district, shared with Lisle Township, Lisle, Bolingbrook, Woodridge, Westmont and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $28,322 per pupil, $17,761 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.
Downers Grove Grade School District 58 · $21,709 per pupil
Glenbard Township High School District 87 · $25,306 per pupil
Darien School District 61 · $20,056 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Downers Grove’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Downers Grove alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are DuPage County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat53.7%251,164 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican40.9%191,243 votesOthers: 5.4% (25,483 votes).
Most votes in DuPage County: Kamala D Harris
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Downers Grove lies in DuPage County. Every 2024 race in DuPage County is on the county’s page.
DuPage 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
Downers Grove sends 4 representatives to the Illinois House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: downers.us ↗
- 2Illinois HouseDowners Grove is split between 4 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 Downers Grove compares with the towns next door
Downers Grove spent $1,293 per resident in 2022; the 8 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $33 to $3,145. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Downers Grove Township | $33 | $7,829 |
| Lisle Township | $41 | $8,601 |
| Darien | $617 | $7,119 |
| Woodridge | $811 | $8,186 |
| Lisle | $816 | $8,631 |
| Westmont | $1,267 | $6,819 |
| Lombard | $1,770 | $7,071 |
| Oak Brook | $3,145 | $10,000+ |
| Downers Grove | $1,293 | $7,227 |
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 Downers Grove’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Downers Grove’s government
How much does Downers Grove spend per resident?
About $1,408 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 $1,293 was more than 61% of 44 Illinois cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Downers Grove?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $7,227 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.61% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see downers.us.
Who runs Downers Grove’s government?
See downers.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Downers Grove yet.
How did Downers Grove vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Downers Grove alone. DuPage County, where 100% of Downers Grove lies, voted Harris 53.7%, Trump 40.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Downers Grove?
340 full-time and 161 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.2M (about $38.6M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Downers Grove in the state legislature?
Downers Grove 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 Downers Grove’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 →