Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFairfield spent more per resident in 2022 than 81% of similar cities
Fairfield’s city government spent $6.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, about $1,321 per resident. Water and other utilities ($9.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Fairfield is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,321 per resident in 2022: more than 81% of them
Fairfield’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,321 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 166 Illinois cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $880, and the middle half spent $696–$1,154. Fairfield spent more than 81% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($799,000), 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Fairfield itself left out).
About $1,321 per resident a year, or $3.62 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Fairfield reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,539 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.73% 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 Fairfield’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 Fairfield’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Fairfield →
Who’s in charge in Fairfield
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Fairfield’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on fairfield-il.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 81 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 (4,889).
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.
Fairfield Community High School District 225
Fairfield’s high school district, shared with Barnhill Township, Big Mound Township, Burnt Prairie Township, Burnt Prairie, Golden Gate and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,340 per pupil, $9,687 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.
Fairfield Public School District 112 · $15,773 per pupil
Jasper Community Consolidated School District 17 · $14,758 per pupil
Geff Community Consolidated School District 14 · $17,628 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Fairfield’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fairfield alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Wayne County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican84.6%7,019 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat13.9%1,155 votesOthers: 1.5% (125 votes).
Most votes in Wayne County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Fairfield lies in Wayne County. Every 2024 race in Wayne County is on the county’s page.
Wayne 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 Fairfield.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: fairfield-il.com ↗
- 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.
How Fairfield compares with the towns next door
Fairfield spent $1,321 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Lamard Township | $190 | $1,637 |
| Big Mound Township | $191 | $1,317 |
| Fairfield | $1,321 | $1,539 |
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 Fairfield’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Fairfield’s government
How much does Fairfield spend per resident?
About $1,321 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 $1,321 was more than 81% of 166 Illinois cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Fairfield?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,539 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.73% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see fairfield-il.com.
Who runs Fairfield’s government?
See fairfield-il.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Fairfield yet.
How did Fairfield vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fairfield alone. Wayne County, where 100% of Fairfield lies, voted Trump 84.6%, Harris 13.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Fairfield?
60 full-time and 31 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $308,176 (about $3.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Fairfield in the state legislature?
State Senate District 58 (Terri Bryant) and State House District 116 (Dave Severin). The House district also covers 105 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Fairfield’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 →