Photo: w_lemay · CC BY-SA 2.0How is Springfield run?
Springfield’s city government spent $179.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to February 28, 2024, about $1,582 per resident. Water and other utilities ($137.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Springfield is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,582 per resident a year, or $4.33 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 9%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,342 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Springfield’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,342 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 21 Illinois cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,345, and the middle half spent $1,154–$1,546. Springfield spent less than 52% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.7 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 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Springfield itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 17% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Springfield 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: $1,342 · 2023: $1,492 · 2024: $1,582.
full-time in March 2025, up from 1,271 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,362 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.07% 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 Springfield’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 Springfield’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Springfield →
Who’s in charge in Springfield
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Springfield’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on springfield.il.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 83 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 (113,273).
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.
Springfield School District 186
Springfield’s K–12 school district, shared with Grandview, Jerome, Leland Grove, Springfield Township, Southern View and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $24,521 per pupil, $13,198 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.
Ball-Chatham Community Unit School District 5 · $11,190 per pupil
New Berlin CUSD 16 · $17,575 per pupil
Riverton Community Unit School District 14 · $16,345 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Springfield’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Springfield alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Sangamon County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican50.9%50,979 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat46.0%46,074 votesOthers: 3.0% (3,046 votes).
Most votes in Sangamon County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Springfield lies in Sangamon County. Every 2024 race in Sangamon County is on the county’s page.
Sangamon 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 Springfield.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: springfield.il.us ↗
- 2Illinois HouseSpringfield is split between 3 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 Springfield compares with the towns next door
Springfield spent $1,342 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Capital Township | $11 | $3,387 |
| Clear Lake Township | $91 | $3,471 |
| Woodside Township | $103 | $2,619 |
| Springfield Township | $108 | $1,418 |
| Rochester Township | $136 | $4,468 |
| Gardner Township | $188 | $4,816 |
| Curran Township | $230 | $4,675 |
| Chatham | $406 | $4,866 |
| Ball Township | estimate | $5,773 |
| Sherman | estimate | $6,474 |
| Springfield | $1,342 | $3,362 |
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 Springfield’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Springfield’s government
How much does Springfield spend per resident?
About $1,582 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to February 28, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,342 was less than 52% of 21 Illinois cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Springfield?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,362 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.07% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see springfield.il.us.
Who runs Springfield’s government?
See springfield.il.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Springfield yet.
How did Springfield vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Springfield alone. Sangamon County, where 100% of Springfield lies, voted Trump 50.9%, Harris 46.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Springfield?
1,359 full-time and 23 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $10.5M (about $125.9M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Springfield in the state legislature?
Springfield is split among 3 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 Springfield’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 →