Photo: edward P. steinburg desnged · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Waukegan run?
Waukegan’s city government spent $106.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2023, about $1,200 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($9.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Waukegan is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Warren Township High School District 121
Waukegan’s high school district, shared with Gurnee, Park City, Warren Township, Old Mill Creek, Wadsworth and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,075 per pupil, $12,235 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.
Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 · $23,440 per pupil
Libertyville Community High School District 128 · $33,792 per pupil
Woodland Community Consolidated School District 50 · $23,456 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $1,200 per resident a year, or $3.29 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 43%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Waukegan yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Waukegan’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2023 only (2022 and 2024 are estimates), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, up from 492 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $4,759 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.49% 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 Waukegan’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 Waukegan’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Waukegan →
Who’s in charge in Waukegan
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Waukegan’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on waukeganil.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 159 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 (88,614).
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.
Waukegan’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Waukegan alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lake County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat58.6%184,642 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican38.2%120,402 votesOthers: 3.2% (10,104 votes).
Most votes in Lake County: Kamala D Harris
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Waukegan lies in Lake County. Every 2024 race in Lake County is on the county’s page.
Lake 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
Waukegan sends 4 representatives to the Illinois House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: waukeganil.gov ↗
- 2Illinois HouseWaukegan is split between 4 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 Waukegan compares with the towns next door
Waukegan’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $61 to $1,463 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Libertyville Township | $61 | $10,000+ |
| Waukegan Township | $76 | $4,243 |
| Newport Township | $93 | $8,377 |
| Warren Township | $190 | $8,159 |
| Beach Park | $261 | $6,445 |
| Wadsworth | $455 | $9,233 |
| Park City | $577 | $199 |
| Green Oaks | $635 | $10,000+ |
| Gurnee | $1,463 | $8,491 |
| North Chicago | estimate | $3,969 |
| Waukegan | estimate | $4,759 |
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 Waukegan’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Waukegan’s government
How much does Waukegan spend per resident?
About $1,200 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Waukegan?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,759 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.49% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see waukeganil.gov.
Who runs Waukegan’s government?
See waukeganil.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Waukegan yet.
How did Waukegan vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Waukegan alone. Lake County, where 100% of Waukegan lies, voted Harris 58.6%, Trump 38.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Waukegan?
559 full-time and 18 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.8M (about $57.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Waukegan in the state legislature?
Waukegan is split among 4 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 Waukegan’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 →