Photo: Busjack · CC BY-SA 3.0Riverwoods spent more per resident in 2022 than 75% of similar cities
Riverwoods’ village government spent $4.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,230 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Riverwoods is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
$1,155 per resident in 2022: more than 75% of them
Riverwoods’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,155 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–$1,156. Riverwoods spent more than 75% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($250,000), 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; Riverwoods itself left out).
About $1,230 per resident a year, or $3.37 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 47%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 13% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Riverwoods 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: $1,155 · 2023: $1,230. Per resident it went from $1,155 to $1,230 (up 6%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 3,534 to 3,765.
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 Riverwoods’ 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 Riverwoods’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Riverwoods →
Who’s in charge in Riverwoods
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 314 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (3,765).
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.
Township High School District 113
Riverwoods’ high school district, shared with Highland Park, Highwood, Bannockburn, Deerfield, Moraine Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $38,822 per pupil, $23,872 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.
Deerfield School District 109 · $27,393 per pupil
Adlai E. Stevenson High School District 125 · $31,024 per pupil
Bannockburn School District 106 · $38,782 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Riverwoods’ votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Riverwoods alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lake County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat58.6%184,642 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican38.2%120,402 votesOthers: 3.2% (10,104 votes).
Most votes in Lake County: Kamala D Harris
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Riverwoods lies in Lake County. Every 2024 race in Lake County is on the county’s page.
Lake 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 Riverwoods.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Illinois HouseRiverwoods 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 Riverwoods compares with the towns next door
Riverwoods spent $1,155 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,325 to $2,200. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Grove | $1,325 | $10,000+ |
| Deerfield | $1,733 | $10,000+ |
| Bannockburn | $2,200 | $10,000+ |
| Lincolnshire | estimate | $10,000+ |
| Riverwoods | $1,155 | $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 Riverwoods’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Riverwoods’ government
How much does Riverwoods spend per resident?
About $1,230 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,155 was more than 75% of 166 Illinois cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Riverwoods’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Riverwoods yet.
How did Riverwoods vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Riverwoods alone. Lake County, where 100% of Riverwoods lies, voted Harris 58.6%, Trump 38.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Riverwoods?
12 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $151,816 (about $1.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Riverwoods in the state legislature?
Riverwoods is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Illinois Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 29 (Julie Morrison). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Riverwoods’ 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 →