Photo: MattHucke · CC BY-SA 3.0Equality spent more per resident in 2022 than 75% of similar cities
Equality’s village government spent $366,000 on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, about $715 per resident. Water and other utilities ($302,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Equality is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
$715 per resident in 2022: more than 75% of them
Equality’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($715 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 637 Illinois cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $501, and the middle half spent $342–$713. Equality spent more than 75% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($125,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Equality itself left out).
About $715 per resident a year, or $1.96 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 47%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Equality reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $619 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.75% 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 Equality’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Equality’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Equality →
Who’s in charge in Equality
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 256 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 (512).
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.
Gallatin Community Unit School District 7
Equality’s K–12 school district, shared with Asbury Township, Eagle Creek Township, Equality Township, Gold Hill Township, Junction and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,825 per pupil, $10,234 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.
Equality’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Equality alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Gallatin County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican75.8%1,923 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat22.1%561 votesOthers: 2.1% (52 votes).
Most votes in Gallatin County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Equality lies in Gallatin County. Every 2024 race in Gallatin County is on the county’s page.
Gallatin 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 Equality.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Illinois HouseState representatives
- 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.
Reach Equality’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Equality’s government
How much does Equality spend per resident?
About $715 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $715 was more than 75% of 637 Illinois cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Equality?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $619 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.75% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the village’s assessor.
Who runs Equality’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Equality yet.
How did Equality vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Equality alone. Gallatin County, where 100% of Equality lies, voted Trump 75.8%, Harris 22.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Equality?
2 full-time and 39 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $34,095 (about $409,140 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Equality in the state legislature?
State Senate District 59 (Paul Jacobs) and State House District 117 (Patrick Windhorst). The House district also covers 82 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Equality’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 →