Photo: Digital Bookmobile · CC BY 2.0How is Palos Heights run?
Palos Heights’ city government spent $16.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,408 per resident. Water and other utilities ($8.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Palos Heights is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,408 per resident a year, or $3.86 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 47%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,209 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Palos Heights’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,209 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–$1,485. Palos Heights spent more than 57% of 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; Palos Heights itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 9% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Palos Heights 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: $1,209 · 2023: $1,326 · 2024: $1,408. Per resident it went from $1,209 to $1,408 (up 16%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 12,375 to 11,632.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $7,624 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.08% 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 Palos Heights’ 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 Palos Heights’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Palos Heights →
Who’s in charge in Palos Heights
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Palos Heights’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on palosheights.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 151 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (11,632).
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.
Community High School District 218
Palos Heights’ high school district, shared with Alsip, Calumet Park, Merrionette Park, Robbins, Blue Island and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $25,321 per pupil, $13,874 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.
Consolidated High School District 230 · $25,716 per pupil
Palos Community Consolidated School District 118 · $18,629 per pupil
Palos Heights School District 128 · $17,546 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Palos Heights’ votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Palos Heights 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 Palos Heights 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 Palos Heights.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: palosheights.org ↗
- 2Illinois HousePalos Heights 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 Palos Heights compares with the towns next door
Palos Heights spent $1,209 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $689 to $1,095. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Palos Hills | $689 | $5,613 |
| Palos Park | $1,095 | $9,152 |
| Worth | estimate | $5,510 |
| Palos Heights | $1,209 | $7,624 |
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 Palos Heights’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Palos Heights’ government
How much does Palos Heights spend per resident?
About $1,408 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 $1,209 was more than 57% of 97 Illinois cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Palos Heights?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $7,624 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.08% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see palosheights.org.
Who runs Palos Heights’ government?
See palosheights.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Palos Heights yet.
How did Palos Heights vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Palos Heights alone. Cook County, where 100% of Palos Heights lies, voted Harris 68.9%, Trump 27.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Palos Heights?
77 full-time and 102 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $660,320 (about $7.9M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Palos Heights in the state legislature?
Palos Heights is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Illinois Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 18 (Bill Cunningham). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Palos Heights’ 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 →