Highland spent more per resident in 2022 than 86% of similar cities
Highland’s city government spent $19.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2024, about $1,914 per resident. Water and other utilities ($19.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Highland is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,687 per resident in 2022: more than 86% of them
Highland’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,687 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 97 Illinois cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,094, and the middle half spent $794–$1,484. Highland spent more than 86% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.8 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Highland itself left out).
About $1,914 per resident a year, or $5.24 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 13% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Highland 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: $1,687 · 2023: $1,803 · 2024: $1,914.
full-time in March 2025, down from 116 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 $3,908 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.93% 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 Highland’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 Highland’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Highland →
Who’s in charge in Highland
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Highland’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.highland.il.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 98 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 (10,009).
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.
Highland Community Unit School District 5
Highland’s K–12 school district, shared with Alhambra, Grantfork, Leef Township, New Douglas, Saline Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,068 per pupil, $8,495 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.
Highland’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Highland alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Madison County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican55.1%73,925 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat42.0%56,341 votesOthers: 2.8% (3,790 votes).
Most votes in Madison County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Highland lies in Madison County. Every 2024 race in Madison County is on the county’s page.
Madison 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 Highland.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.highland.il.us ↗
- 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 Highland’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Highland’s government
How much does Highland spend per resident?
About $1,914 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,687 was more than 86% of 97 Illinois cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Highland?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,908 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.93% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.highland.il.us.
Who runs Highland’s government?
See ci.highland.il.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Highland yet.
How did Highland vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Highland alone. Madison County, where 100% of Highland lies, voted Trump 55.1%, Harris 42.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Highland?
102 full-time and 126 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $789,256 (about $9.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Highland in the state legislature?
State Senate District 55 (Jason Plummer) and State House District 109 (Charlie Meier). The House district also covers 84 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Highland’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 →