Photo: Dual Freq · CC BY 2.5Tuscola spent more per resident in 2022 than 76% of similar cities
Tuscola’s city government spent $3.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2023, about $768 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Tuscola is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,195 per resident in 2022: more than 76% of them
Tuscola’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,195 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. Tuscola spent more than 76% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($343,000), 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; Tuscola itself left out).
About $768 per resident a year, or $2.10 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 32% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Tuscola 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: $1,195 · 2023: $768.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,404 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.56% 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 Tuscola’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 Tuscola’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Tuscola →
Who’s in charge in Tuscola
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Tuscola’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on tuscola.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 172 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 (4,654).
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.
Tuscola Community Unit School District 301
Tuscola’s K–12 school district, shared with Tuscola Township, Garrett Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,373 per pupil, $10,626 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Tuscola’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Tuscola alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Douglas County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican71.9%6,076 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat26.0%2,198 votesOthers: 2.1% (180 votes).
Most votes in Douglas County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Tuscola lies in Douglas County. Every 2024 race in Douglas County is on the county’s page.
Douglas 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 Tuscola.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: tuscola.org ↗
- 2Illinois HouseState representatives
- 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.
Reach Tuscola’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Tuscola’s government
How much does Tuscola spend per resident?
About $768 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,195 was more than 76% of 166 Illinois cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Tuscola?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,404 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.56% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see tuscola.org.
Who runs Tuscola’s government?
See tuscola.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Tuscola yet.
How did Tuscola vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Tuscola alone. Douglas County, where 100% of Tuscola lies, voted Trump 71.9%, Harris 26.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Tuscola?
27 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $135,262 (about $1.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Tuscola in the state legislature?
State Senate District 51 (Chapin Rose) and State House District 101 (Chris Miller). The House district also covers 81 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Tuscola’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 →