St. Louis, Peoria and Northern Railroad Depot · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0How is Pekin run?
Pekin’s city government spent $47 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2024, about $1,502 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Pekin didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Pekin is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
6 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Pekin’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov9EDACMonday · 12:00 pm · City Hall, Council Chambers, 111 S Capitol St, Pekin, IL 61554Economic Development Advisory CommitteeMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov9City CouncilMonday · 5:30 pm · City Hall, Council Chambers, 111 S Capitol St, Pekin, IL 61554City Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov11Zoning Board of AppealsWednesday · 5:00 pm · City Hall- Council Chambers, 111 S Capitol StreetMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov17Beautification CommitteeTuesday · 5:15 pm · 111 S Capitol StBeautification Committee MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov23City CouncilMonday · 5:30 pm · City Hall, Council Chambers, 111 S Capitol St, Pekin, IL 61554City Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov24Airport Advisory CommissionTuesday · 3:00 pm · Pekin Municipal Airport, 13906 Airport Ln, Pekin, IL 61554Pekin Municipal Airport CommissionMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Nov2Tourism CommitteeMonday · 5:00 pm · City Hall, Council Chambers, 111 S Capitol St, Pekin, IL 61554Meeting page ↗
- Oct28Fire and Police CommissionWednesday · 8:30 am · City Hall, Council Chambers, 111 S Capitol St, Pekin, IL 61554RESCHEDULED - Fire and Police CommissionAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct27Airport Advisory CommissionTuesday · 3:00 pm · Pekin Municipal Airport, 13906 Airport Ln, Pekin, IL 61554Pekin Municipal Airport CommissionAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct26City CouncilMonday · 5:30 pm · City Hall, Council Chambers, 111 S Capitol St, Pekin, IL 61554City Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct22Liquor CommissionThursday · 4:00 pm · City Hall, Council Chambers, 111 S Capitol St, Pekin, IL 61554Liquor Commission - CanceledMeeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $1,502 per resident a year, or $4.12 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Pekin didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Pekin yet
Every year of Pekin’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, up from 191 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $2,521 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.09% 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 Pekin’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 Pekin’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Pekin →
Who’s in charge in Pekin
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 156 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (31,260).
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.
Pekin Community High School District 303
Pekin’s high school district, shared with Cincinnati Township, Elm Grove Township, Marquette Heights, North Pekin, Pekin Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,291 per pupil, $8,993 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.
Pekin Public School District108 · $17,938 per pupil
North Pekin-Marquette Heights School District 102 · $15,325 per pupil
Rankin Community School District 98 · $19,960 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Pekin’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Pekin alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Tazewell County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican61.9%42,451 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat35.5%24,325 votesOthers: 2.6% (1,788 votes).
Most votes in Tazewell County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Pekin lies in Tazewell County; the rest in Peoria County. Every 2024 race in Tazewell County is on the county’s page.
Tazewell 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 Pekin.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.pekin.il.us ↗
- 2Illinois HousePekin is split between 2 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 Pekin compares with the towns next door
Pekin’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 5 of the 7 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $22 to $311 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Pekin Township | $22 | $2,328 |
| Groveland Township | $40 | $3,115 |
| Cincinnati Township | $126 | $3,672 |
| Elm Grove Township | $160 | $4,344 |
| Hollis Township | $311 | $4,705 |
| North Pekin | estimate | $1,988 |
| Marquette Heights | estimate | $2,543 |
| Pekin | estimate | $2,521 |
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 Pekin’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Pekin’s government
How much does Pekin spend per resident?
About $1,502 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Pekin didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $65.5 million.
What is the property tax rate in Pekin?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,521 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.09% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.pekin.il.us.
Who runs Pekin’s government?
See ci.pekin.il.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Pekin yet.
How did Pekin vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Pekin alone. Tazewell County, where 100% of Pekin lies, voted Trump 61.9%, Harris 35.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Pekin?
200 full-time and 176 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.9M (about $23.0M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Pekin in the state legislature?
Pekin 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.
When is the next public meeting in Pekin?
The next posted meeting is EDAC on Monday, November 9, at 12:00 pm in City Hall, Council Chambers, 111 S Capitol St, Pekin, IL 61554, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Pekin’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 (for Pekin, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →