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Winchester Historic DistrictWinchester Historic District · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Town Hall · Winchester

Winchester spent more per resident in 2022 than 86% of similar cities

Winchester’s city government spent $1.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, about $824 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1 million) are counted separately.

Election Day

Today

General election in Illinois.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$1.2M
year to April 30, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$824
In 2022: $824, more than 86% of 637 similar cities
Long-term debt
$2.1M
end of FY2022, reported
City staff, 2022
12
full-time · 7 part-time · March payroll $53,020
Typical tax bill
$1,377
1.47% of home value · IL 2.01%

What stands out about how Winchester is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$824 per resident in 2022: more than 86% of them

Winchester’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($824 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. Winchester spent more than 86% of them.

Middle half of the group, $342–$713Median $501Winchester

Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
637

Illinois cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Winchester itself left out).

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $824 per resident a year, or $2.26 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 39%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 40%From the state 33%Fees & charges 12%Property taxes 12%Sales taxes 2%Interest, fines & other 2%Other taxes & licenses <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $412,000; interest on debt $95,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $2.8 million.
Over the years

No trend yet

Winchester reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,377 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.47% of the home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Illinois$5,298
Winchester$1,377
$1,377
typical bill a year
1.47%
effective rate
$93,900
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Winchester’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 Winchester’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Winchester →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Winchester

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

Check Winchester’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Winchester yet.
Who works for Winchester

One full-time city employee for every 122 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 (1,466).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Police4 + 3 pt
Roads & transportation5
Parks & libraries0 + 3 pt
Water & other utilities1 + 1 pt
Other2
12
full-time
7
part-time
$53,020
payroll for March 2022
$636,240
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$43,200
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
4
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Winchester had 8.2 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 472 of the 637 Illinois cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 2.1: Winchester had more than 90% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Winchester Community Unit School District 1

Winchester’s K–12 school district, shared with Alsey, Glasgow, Manchester. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Winchester →
$14,676
per pupil · IL $21,567
559
students
$4.1 million
long-term debt

Of the $14,676 per pupil, $9,873 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 35%State 57%Federal 8%

Illinois districts overall: 52% local, 38% state, 10% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

How Winchester voted in 2024

Official results for Winchester’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.

President1,037 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican73.9%766 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat24.3%252 votes

Others: 1.8% (19 votes).

Most votes in Winchester: Donald J Trump

Scott County: Trump 79.9%, Harris 18.8% · Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%

Turnout
92%

of Winchester’s 1,126 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Illinois: 62%.

Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).

U.S. House · Illinois’s 15th District318,329 votes
Mary E MillerRepublican97.0%
Write-ins3.0%

Most votes in the district: Mary E Miller

Whole-district result

President, 2024: Winchester, its county and the state

TrumpHarrisOthersVotes
Winchester73.9%24.3%1.8%1,037
Scott County79.9%18.8%1.3%2,592
Illinois43.5%54.4%2.2%5,633,310
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Winchester

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Winchester.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Illinois HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Illinois SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Illinois

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Winchester’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Winchester’s government

How much does Winchester spend per resident?

About $824 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $824 was more than 86% of 637 Illinois cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Winchester?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,377 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.47% 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 Winchester’s government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Winchester yet.

How did Winchester vote in 2024?

For president, Donald J Trump 73.9%, Kamala D Harris 24.3% (1,037 votes, official results). Scott County: Trump 79.9%, Harris 18.8%. Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%.

How many people work for Winchester?

12 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $53,020 (about $636,240 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Winchester in the state legislature?

State Senate District 50 (Jil Tracy) and State House District 100 (C.D. Davidsmeyer). The House district also covers 139 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Winchester’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →