Photo: Daniel Schwen · CC BY-SA 4.0Urbana spent less per resident in 2022 than 68% of similar cities
Urbana’s city government spent $49.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,277 per resident.
What stands out about how Urbana is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,000 per resident in 2022: less than 68% of them
Urbana’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,000 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 44 Illinois cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,158, and the middle half spent $937–$1,570. Urbana spent less than 68% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Illinois cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Urbana itself left out).
About $1,277 per resident a year, or $3.50 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 24%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 18% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Urbana 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: $1,000 · 2023: $1,277. Per resident it went from $1,000 to $1,277 (up 28%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 41,724 to 38,681.
full-time in March 2025, up from 243 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,491 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.43% 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 Urbana’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 Urbana’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Urbana →
Who’s in charge in Urbana
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Urbana’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on urbanail.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 156 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (38,681).
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.
Urbana School District 116
Urbana’s K–12 school district, shared with Cunningham Township, Urbana Township, Somer Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $22,151 per pupil, $12,568 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.
Champaign Community Unit School District 4 · $21,532 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Urbana’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Urbana alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Champaign County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat59.5%54,314 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican36.1%32,965 votesOthers: 4.3% (3,931 votes).
Most votes in Champaign County: Kamala D Harris
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Urbana lies in Champaign County. Every 2024 race in Champaign County is on the county’s page.
Champaign 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 Urbana.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: urbanail.gov ↗
- 2Illinois HouseUrbana 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 Urbana compares with the towns next door
Urbana spent $1,000 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Champaign City Township | $15 | $4,639 |
| Urbana Township | $78 | $1,934 |
| Somer Township | $176 | $4,441 |
| Champaign | $998 | $4,639 |
| Cunningham Township | estimate | $4,491 |
| Urbana | $1,000 | $4,491 |
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 Urbana’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Urbana’s government
How much does Urbana spend per resident?
About $1,277 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,000 was less than 68% of 44 Illinois cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Urbana?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,491 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.43% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see urbanail.gov.
Who runs Urbana’s government?
See urbanail.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Urbana yet.
How did Urbana vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Urbana alone. Champaign County, where 100% of Urbana lies, voted Harris 59.5%, Trump 36.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Urbana?
248 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.9M (about $22.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Urbana in the state legislature?
Urbana is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Illinois Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 52 (Paul Faraci). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Urbana’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 →