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Henry Demarest Lloyd HousePhoto: Zol87 · CC BY-SA 2.0
Town Hall · Winnetka

Winnetka spent more per resident in 2022 than 96% of similar cities

Winnetka’s village government spent $32.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2024, about $2,659 per resident. Water and other utilities ($17 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Illinois.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$32.9M
year to March 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$2,659
In 2022: $2,401, more than 96% of 97 similar cities
Long-term debt
$54.6M
end of FY2024, reported
Village staff, 2022
138
full-time · 11 part-time · March payroll $1.3M
Typical tax bill
$10,000+
a year

What stands out about how Winnetka is run

Read from the village’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends more than most similar citiesIn 2022: $2,401 per resident, more than 96% of 97 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer41% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2024).A shared school districtShares New Trier Township High School District 203 with 5 other towns.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Winnetka’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

  • Nov2
    Historic Preservation CommissionMonday · 7:00 pm · 510 Green Bay RoadHistoric Preservation Commission Regular Meeting - Notice of Meeting CancellationAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Nov2
    Board of Fire & Police CommissionersMonday · 3:00 pm · 510 Green Bay RoadBoard of Fire and Police Commissioners Special MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Oct29
    Village CouncilThursday · 8:30 am · 510 Green Bay RoadVillage Council Budget Review MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Oct28
    Plan CommissionWednesday · 7:00 pm · 510 Green Bay RoadPlan Commission Regular MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Oct28
    Board of Fire & Police CommissionersWednesday · 5:00 pm · 510 Green Bay RoadBoard of Fire and Police Commissioners Special MeetingMeeting page ↗
Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $2,659 per resident a year, or $7.28 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 24%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 32%Property taxes 19%Fees & charges 16%From other local governments 16%From the state 10%Interest, fines & other 4%Other taxes & licenses 3%Sales taxes <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $28.1 million; interest on debt $293,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $78.3 million.
About “Other”.35% of Winnetka’s day-to-day spending ($11.6 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places

$2,401 per resident in 2022: more than 96% of them

Winnetka’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,401 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 97 Illinois cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,094, and the middle half spent $794–$1,484. Winnetka spent more than 96% of them.

Middle half of the group, $794–$1,484Median $1,094Winnetka

Includes sewer and trash ($3.4 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
97

Illinois cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Winnetka itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 12% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Winnetka reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$29.3 million
2023$32.1 million
2024$32.9 million

Per resident: 2022: $2,401 · 2023: $2,573 · 2024: $2,659.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

Typical bills top $10,000 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Winnetka$10,000+
New Trier Township$10,000+
Glencoe$10,000+
Kenilworth$10,000+
Northfield$10,000+
Illinois$5,298
$10,000+
typical bill a year
$1,337,800
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Winnetka

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

See villageofwinnetka.org for Winnetka’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Winnetka yet.villageofwinnetka.org ↗
Who works for Winnetka

One full-time village employee for every 90 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (12,370).

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

Police31 + 3 pt
Water & other utilities32 + 1 pt
Fire23 + 4 pt
Administration & buildings17 + 1 pt
Roads & transportation17 + 1 pt
Sewer & trash10
Housing & development6
Health & welfare0 + 1 pt
Other2
138
full-time
11
part-time
$1.3M
payroll for March 2022
$16.2M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$115,000
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
26
sworn police officers
22
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Winnetka had 11.3 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 77 of the 97 Illinois cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 5.6: Winnetka had more than 97% 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

New Trier Township High School District 203

Winnetka’s high school district, shared with Glencoe, Kenilworth, New Trier Township, Wilmette, Northfield. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Winnetka →
$38,898
per pupil · IL $21,567
3,740
students
$134.9 million
long-term debt

Of the $38,898 per pupil, $22,667 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 78%State 20%Federal 2%

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

Also serving Winnetka

Winnetka School District 36 · $31,326 per pupil

Avoca School District 37 · $35,150 per pupil

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Winnetka’s votes are counted by county

Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Winnetka alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cook County’s results.

President · Cook County’s results2,101,678 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat68.9%1,447,821 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican27.8%583,852 votes

Others: 3.3% (70,005 votes).

Most votes in Cook County: Kamala D Harris

Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%

The county’s page

100% of Winnetka lies in Cook County. Every 2024 race in Cook County is on the county’s page.

Cook County’s 2024 results →
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 Winnetka

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Winnetka.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: villageofwinnetka.org ↗
  2. 2
    Illinois HouseState representatives
    Robyn Gabel
  3. 3
    Illinois SenateState senator
    Laura Fine
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    J. B. Pritzker
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Bradley Scott Schneider
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Illinois
    Richard J. DurbinTammy Duckworth

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

Next door

How Winnetka compares with the towns next door

Winnetka spent $2,401 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $58 to $4,620. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

New Trier Township: $58 per resident (2022)Glencoe: $4,620 per resident (2022)Kenilworth: $1,983 per resident (2022)Northfield: $2,118 per resident (2022)New Trier TownshipGlencoeKenilworthNorthfieldWinnetka
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
New Trier Township$58$10,000+
Kenilworth$1,983$10,000+
Northfield$2,118$10,000+
Glencoe$4,620$10,000+
Winnetka$2,401$10,000+

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 Winnetka’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitevillageofwinnetka.org ↗

Questions about Winnetka’s government

How much does Winnetka spend per resident?

About $2,659 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,401 was more than 96% of 97 Illinois cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

Who runs Winnetka’s government?

See villageofwinnetka.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Winnetka yet.

How did Winnetka vote in 2024?

Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Winnetka alone. Cook County, where 100% of Winnetka lies, voted Harris 68.9%, Trump 27.8% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Winnetka?

138 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1.3M (about $16.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Winnetka in the state legislature?

State Senate District 9 (Laura Fine) and State House District 18 (Robyn Gabel). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Winnetka?

The next posted meeting is Board of Fire & Police Commissioners on Wednesday, November 4, at 3:00 pm in 510 Green Bay Road, from the village’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Winnetka’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 →