Photo: Dennisyerger84 · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Joliet run?
Joliet’s city government spent $226.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,508 per resident. Water and other utilities ($35.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Joliet is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,508 per resident a year, or $4.13 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 41%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,407 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Joliet’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,407 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 21 Illinois cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,342, and the middle half spent $1,154–$1,546. Joliet spent more than 62% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Illinois cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Joliet itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 10% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Joliet 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: $1,407 · 2023: $1,516 · 2024: $1,508.
full-time in March 2025, up from 781 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 $5,694 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.14% 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 Joliet’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 Joliet’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Joliet →
Who’s in charge in Joliet
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Joliet’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on joliet.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 160 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 (150,033).
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.
Joliet Township High School District 204
Joliet’s high school district, shared with Elwood, Joliet Township, Plainfield Township, Rockdale, Jackson Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,589 per pupil, $10,951 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.
Joliet Public School District 86 · $22,381 per pupil
Troy Community Consolidated School District 30C · $20,371 per pupil
Laraway Community Consolidated School District 70C · $36,981 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Joliet’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Joliet alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Will County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat49.1%162,874 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican47.6%157,672 votesOthers: 3.3% (11,024 votes).
Most votes in Will County: Kamala D Harris
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
90% of Joliet lies in Will County; the rest in Kendall County. Every 2024 race in Will County is on the county’s page.
Will 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
Joliet sends 5 representatives to the Illinois House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: joliet.gov ↗
- 2Illinois HouseJoliet is split between 5 districts
- 3Illinois SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Illinois
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Joliet compares with the towns next door
Joliet spent $1,407 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $584 to $1,207. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Crest Hill | $584 | $4,663 |
| Plainfield | $786 | $9,490 |
| Shorewood | $1,003 | $7,463 |
| New Lenox | $1,084 | $9,276 |
| Rockdale | $1,207 | $3,375 |
| Joliet | $1,407 | $5,694 |
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 Joliet’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Joliet’s government
How much does Joliet spend per resident?
About $1,508 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 $1,407 was more than 62% of 21 Illinois cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Joliet?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,694 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.14% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see joliet.gov.
Who runs Joliet’s government?
See joliet.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Joliet yet.
How did Joliet vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Joliet alone. Will County, where 90% of Joliet lies, voted Harris 49.1%, Trump 47.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Joliet?
940 full-time and 111 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $8.9M (about $106.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Joliet in the state legislature?
Joliet is split among 5 State House districts and 4 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 Joliet’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 →