Photo: Dennisyerger84 · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Oak Park run?
Oak Park’s village government spent $73.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,402 per resident. Water and other utilities ($12 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Oak Park is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
Oak Park Elementary School District 97
Oak Park’s elementary school district, shared with Oak Park Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $23,305 per pupil, $14,425 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.
Oak Park and River Forest District 200 · $30,490 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $1,402 per resident a year, or $3.84 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,345 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Oak Park’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,345 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 66 Illinois cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,261, and the middle half spent $1,005–$1,548. Oak Park spent more than 61% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.5 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 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Oak Park itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 6% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Oak Park 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: $1,345 · 2023: $1,431 · 2024: $1,402.
full-time in March 2025, down from 346 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
Typical bills top $10,000 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Oak Park’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 Oak Park’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Oak Park →
Who’s in charge in Oak Park
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Oak Park’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The village posts agendas and minutes on oak-park.us ↗.
One full-time village employee for every 153 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 (52,553).
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.
Oak Park’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Oak Park alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cook County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat68.9%1,447,821 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican27.8%583,852 votesOthers: 3.3% (70,005 votes).
Most votes in Cook County: Kamala D Harris
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Oak Park lies in Cook County. Every 2024 race in Cook County is on the county’s page.
Cook 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 Oak Park.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: oak-park.us ↗
- 2Illinois HouseOak Park 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 Oak Park compares with the towns next door
Oak Park spent $1,345 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $3,168. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | $3,168 | $4,943 |
| Oak Park Township | estimate | $10,000+ |
| Oak Park | $1,345 | $10,000+ |
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 Oak Park’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Oak Park’s government
How much does Oak Park spend per resident?
About $1,402 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 $1,345 was more than 61% of 66 Illinois cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Oak Park’s government?
See oak-park.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Oak Park yet.
How did Oak Park vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Oak Park alone. Cook County, where 100% of Oak Park lies, voted Harris 68.9%, Trump 27.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Oak Park?
344 full-time and 3 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.2M (about $38.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Oak Park in the state legislature?
Oak Park is split among 2 State House districts and 2 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 Oak Park’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 →