Photo: Paul Sableman · CC BY 2.0How is East St. Louis run?
East St. Louis’ city government spent $46.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,599 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: East St. Louis didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how East St. Louis is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Belleville Township High School District 201
East St. Louis’ high school district, shared with Cahokia Heights, Canteen Township, Centreville Township, East St. Louis Township, Millstadt and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,728 per pupil, $11,548 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.
East St. Louis School District 189 · $29,017 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $2,599 per resident a year, or $7.12 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
East St. Louis didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for East St. Louis yet
Every year of East St. Louis’ figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, up from 186 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $1,184 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.25% 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 East St. Louis’ 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 East St. Louis’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in East St. Louis →
Who’s in charge in East St. Louis
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 90 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 (17,919).
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.
East St. Louis’ votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for East St. Louis alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are St. Clair County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat52.5%63,433 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican44.7%54,021 votesOthers: 2.8% (3,425 votes).
Most votes in St. Clair County: Kamala D Harris
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of East St. Louis lies in St. Clair County. Every 2024 race in St. Clair County is on the county’s page.
St. Clair 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 East St. Louis.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cesl.us ↗
- 2Illinois HouseEast St. Louis 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 East St. Louis compares with the towns next door
East St. Louis’ own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 4 of the 10 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $316 to $218,357 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Stites Township | $316 | — |
| Belleville | $1,172 | $3,110 |
| Fairview Heights | $1,245 | $3,105 |
| Sauget | $218,357 | $2,071 |
| East St. Louis Township | estimate | $1,184 |
| Centreville Township | estimate | $1,450 |
| Canteen Township | estimate | $1,522 |
| Cahokia Heights | estimate | $1,346 |
| Washington Park | estimate | $1,225 |
| Fairmont City | estimate | $1,102 |
| East St. Louis | estimate | $1,184 |
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 East St. Louis’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about East St. Louis’ government
How much does East St. Louis spend per resident?
About $2,599 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (East St. Louis didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $46.8 million.
What is the property tax rate in East St. Louis?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,184 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.25% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cesl.us.
Who runs East St. Louis’ government?
See cesl.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for East St. Louis yet.
How did East St. Louis vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for East St. Louis alone. St. Clair County, where 100% of East St. Louis lies, voted Harris 52.5%, Trump 44.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for East St. Louis?
199 full-time and 20 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.3M (about $15.2M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents East St. Louis in the state legislature?
East St. Louis is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Illinois Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 57 (Christopher Belt). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about East St. Louis’ 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 East St. Louis, 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 →