Photo: Steve Shook · CC BY 2.0Cedar Lake spent less per resident in 2022 than 89% of similar cities
Cedar Lake’s town government spent $22.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,438 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Cedar Lake is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$793 per resident in 2022: less than 89% of them
Cedar Lake’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($793 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 35 Indiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,182, and the middle half spent $997–$1,616. Cedar Lake spent less than 89% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.1 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 →
Indiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Cedar Lake itself left out).
About $1,438 per resident a year, or $3.94 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 108% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Cedar Lake 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: $793 · 2023: $1,058 · 2024: $1,438. Per resident it went from $793 to $1,438 (up 81%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 13,588 to 15,592.
full-time in March 2025, up from 78 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 $2,688 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.95% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Cedar Lake’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 Cedar Lake’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Cedar Lake →
Who’s in charge in Cedar Lake
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Cedar Lake’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on cedarlakein.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 173 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (15,592).
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.
Hanover Community School Corporation
Cedar Lake’s K–12 school district, shared with Hanover Township, St. John. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,481 per pupil, $6,512 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.
Indiana districts overall: 33% local, 56% state, 11% federal.
Crown Point Community School Corporation · $13,085 per pupil
Tri-Creek School Corporation · $11,438 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Cedar Lake.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: cedarlakein.org ↗
- 2Indiana HouseCedar Lake is split between 2 districts
- 3Indiana SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Indiana
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Cedar Lake compares with the towns next door
Cedar Lake spent $793 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $12 to $49. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Hanover Township | $12 | $3,352 |
| West Creek Township | $49 | $2,686 |
| Cedar Creek Township | estimate | $2,313 |
| Center Township | estimate | $2,785 |
| Cedar Lake | $793 | $2,688 |
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 Cedar Lake’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Cedar Lake’s government
How much does Cedar Lake spend per resident?
About $1,438 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $793 was less than 89% of 35 Indiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Cedar Lake?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,688 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.95% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cedarlakein.org.
Who runs Cedar Lake’s government?
See cedarlakein.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Cedar Lake yet.
How many people work for Cedar Lake?
90 full-time and 17 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $542,071 (about $6.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Cedar Lake in the state legislature?
Cedar Lake is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Indiana Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 6 (Rick Niemeyer). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Cedar Lake’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 →