Elmwood Cemetery Gates · Photo: Andy McMurray · CC BY 2.5How is Sycamore run?
Sycamore’s city government spent $22.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, about $1,224 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Sycamore didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Sycamore is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Sycamore Community Unit School District 427
Sycamore’s K–12 school district, shared with Sycamore Township, Mayfield Township, Cortland Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,910 per pupil, $11,668 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.
DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 · $21,601 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $1,224 per resident a year, or $3.35 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Sycamore didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Sycamore yet
Every year of Sycamore’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. 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 102 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $6,567 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.47% 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 Sycamore’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 Sycamore’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sycamore →
Who’s in charge in Sycamore
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 164 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (18,317).
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.
Sycamore’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sycamore alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are DeKalb County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat49.5%23,648 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican47.5%22,716 votesOthers: 3.0% (1,421 votes).
Most votes in DeKalb County: Kamala D Harris
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Sycamore lies in DeKalb County. Every 2024 race in DeKalb County is on the county’s page.
DeKalb 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 Sycamore.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Illinois HouseSycamore 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 Sycamore compares with the towns next door
Sycamore’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 3 of the 3 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $81 to $1,264 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Sycamore Township | $81 | $6,778 |
| Mayfield Township | $424 | $9,196 |
| DeKalb | $1,264 | $5,607 |
| Sycamore | estimate | $6,567 |
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 Sycamore’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Sycamore’s government
How much does Sycamore spend per resident?
About $1,224 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Sycamore didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $41.3 million.
What is the property tax rate in Sycamore?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $6,567 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.47% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Sycamore’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sycamore yet.
How did Sycamore vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sycamore alone. DeKalb County, where 100% of Sycamore lies, voted Harris 49.5%, Trump 47.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Sycamore?
112 full-time and 42 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.1M (about $13.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Sycamore in the state legislature?
Sycamore 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 Sycamore’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 Sycamore, 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 →