Wamac spent more per resident in 2022 than 70% of similar cities
Wamac’s city government spent $753,000 on day-to-day services in the year to May 31, 2022, about $674 per resident. Water and other utilities ($157,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Wamac is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$674 per resident in 2022: more than 70% of them
Wamac’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($674 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 637 Illinois cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $501, and the middle half spent $342–$713. Wamac spent more than 70% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($116,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Wamac itself left out).
About $674 per resident a year, or $1.85 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 38%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Wamac reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $400 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.99% 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 Wamac’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Wamac’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wamac →
Who’s in charge in Wamac
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 223 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,117).
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.
Centralia High School District 200
Wamac’s high school district, shared with Brookside Township, Central City, Centralia, Centralia Township, Grand Prairie Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $21,397 per pupil, $12,253 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.
North Wamac School District 186 · $15,061 per pupil
Centralia School District 135 · $19,365 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Wamac’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wamac alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Clinton County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican74.6%14,407 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat23.0%4,447 votesOthers: 2.4% (467 votes).
Most votes in Clinton County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
47% of Wamac lies in Clinton County; the rest in Marion County, Washington County. Every 2024 race in Clinton County is on the county’s page.
Clinton 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 Wamac.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Illinois HouseWamac 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 Wamac compares with the towns next door
Wamac spent $674 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Brookside Township | $26 | $1,640 |
| Centralia Township | $48 | $1,599 |
| Irvington Township | $207 | $1,918 |
| Centralia | $1,251 | $1,558 |
| Wamac | $674 | $400 |
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 Wamac’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Wamac’s government
How much does Wamac spend per resident?
About $674 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to May 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $674 was more than 70% of 637 Illinois cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Wamac?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $400 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.99% 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 Wamac’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wamac yet.
How did Wamac vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wamac alone. Clinton County, where 47% of Wamac lies, voted Trump 74.6%, Harris 23.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Wamac?
5 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $30,698 (about $368,376 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Wamac in the state legislature?
Wamac is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Illinois Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 55 (Jason Plummer). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wamac’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 →