Photo: Chris Light · CC BY-SA 4.0Peru spent more per resident in 2022 than 95% of similar cities
Peru’s city government spent $20.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2024, about $2,074 per resident. Water and other utilities ($23.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Peru is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,004 per resident in 2022: more than 95% of them
Peru’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,004 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 166 Illinois cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $880, and the middle half spent $696–$1,154. Peru spent more than 95% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.4 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Peru itself left out).
About $2,074 per resident a year, or $5.68 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 5% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Peru 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: $2,004 · 2023: $2,140 · 2024: $2,074.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,804 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.82% 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 Peru’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 Peru’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Peru →
Who’s in charge in Peru
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Peru’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on peru.il.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 127 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (9,771).
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.
LaSalle-Peru Township High School District 120
Peru’s high school district, shared with Cedar Point, Dimmick Township, Eden Township, Hope Township, LaSalle and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $26,538 per pupil, $11,599 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.
Peru Elementary School District 124 · $14,819 per pupil
Dimmick Community Consolidated School District 175 · $18,761 per pupil
Hall High School District 502 · $20,020 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Peru’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Peru alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are LaSalle County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican58.2%30,717 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.9%21,029 votesOthers: 1.9% (1,018 votes).
Most votes in LaSalle County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Peru lies in LaSalle County; the rest in Bureau County. Every 2024 race in LaSalle County is on the county’s page.
LaSalle 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 Peru.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: peru.il.us ↗
- 2Illinois HousePeru 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 Peru compares with the towns next door
Peru spent $2,004 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Peru Township | $38 | $2,852 |
| LaSalle Township | $42 | $2,629 |
| Dimmick Township | $617 | $4,919 |
| Dalzell | $864 | $3,871 |
| LaSalle | $1,532 | $2,510 |
| Peru | $2,004 | $2,804 |
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 Peru’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Peru’s government
How much does Peru spend per resident?
About $2,074 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 $2,004 was more than 95% of 166 Illinois cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Peru?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,804 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.82% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see peru.il.us.
Who runs Peru’s government?
See peru.il.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Peru yet.
How did Peru vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Peru alone. LaSalle County, where 100% of Peru lies, voted Trump 58.2%, Harris 39.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Peru?
77 full-time and 43 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $572,184 (about $6.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Peru in the state legislature?
Peru 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 Peru’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 →