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Whiting business districtPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
Town Hall · Whiting

Whiting spent more per resident in 2022 than 88% of similar cities

Whiting’s city government spent $10.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,357 per resident. Water and other utilities ($720,000) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Indiana.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$10.7M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$2,357
In 2022: $1,935, more than 88% of 89 similar cities
Long-term debt
$19.5M
end of 2024, reported
City staff, 2022
80
full-time · 40 part-time · March payroll $283,280
Typical tax bill
$1,659
0.83% of home value · IN 0.74%

What stands out about how Whiting is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$1,935 per resident in 2022: more than 88% of them

Whiting’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,935 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 89 Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,137, and the middle half spent $754–$1,419. Whiting spent more than 88% of them.

Middle half of the group, $754–$1,419Median $1,137Whiting

Includes sewer and trash ($3.3 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
89

Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Whiting itself left out).

Your share of the 2024 budget

About $2,357 per resident a year, or $6.46 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 29%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 71%Fees & charges 13%From other local governments 5%Interest, fines & other 5%Utility sales 4%From the state 1%Sales taxes <1%Other taxes & licenses <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $7 million; interest on debt $824,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $19.6 million.
Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 15% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$9.3 million
2023$9.2 million
2024$10.7 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,935 · 2023: $2,029 · 2024: $2,357. Per resident it went from $1,935 to $2,357 (up 22%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 4,814 to 4,529.

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

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,659 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.83% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

North Township$1,895
Whiting$1,659
Hammond$1,630
Indiana$1,614
East Chicago$1,083
$1,659
typical bill a year
0.83%
effective rate
$198,900
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Whiting

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

See whitingindiana.com for Whiting’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Whiting yet.whitingindiana.com ↗
Agendas

Whiting’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on whitingindiana.com ↗.

Who works for Whiting

One full-time city employee for every 57 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 (4,529).

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

Police20 + 7 pt
Sewer & trash21 + 5 pt
Parks & libraries12 + 9 pt
Fire15
Administration & buildings8 + 11 pt
Health & welfare1 + 3 pt
Housing & development0 + 4 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections0 + 1 pt
Other3
80
full-time
40
part-time
$283,280
payroll for March 2022
$3.4M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$37,500
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
18
sworn police officers
15
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Whiting had 16.6 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 61 of the 89 Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 8.2: Whiting had more than 98% 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

Whiting School City

Whiting’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Whiting →
$13,058
per pupil · IN $13,688
1,083
students
$3.1 million
long-term debt

Of the $13,058 per pupil, $6,790 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 21%State 68%Federal 10%

Indiana districts overall: 33% local, 56% state, 11% federal.

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

Who represents Whiting

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Whiting.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
  2. 2
    Indiana HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Indiana SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Indiana

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

Next door

How Whiting compares with the towns next door

Whiting spent $1,935 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $23 to $2,458. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
North Township$23$1,895
Hammond$2,248$1,630
East Chicago$2,458$1,083
Whiting$1,935$1,659

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 Whiting’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Whiting’s government

How much does Whiting spend per resident?

About $2,357 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 $1,935 was more than 88% of 89 Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Whiting?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,659 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.83% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see whitingindiana.com.

Who runs Whiting’s government?

See whitingindiana.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Whiting yet.

How many people work for Whiting?

80 full-time and 40 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $283,280 (about $3.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Whiting in the state legislature?

State Senate District 2 (Lonnie Randolph) and State House District 1 (Carolyn Jackson). The House district also covers parts of three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Whiting’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 →