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Randolph County Courthouse and monumentPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
Town Hall · Winchester

Winchester spent less per resident in 2022 than 94% of similar cities

Winchester’s city government spent $10.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,231 per resident.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Indiana.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$10.8M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$2,231
In 2022: $216, less than 94% of 89 similar cities
Long-term debt
$6.9M
end of 2024, reported
City staff, 2022
40
full-time · 10 part-time · March payroll $176,939
Typical tax bill
$884
0.91% of home value · IN 0.74%

What stands out about how Winchester is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$216 per resident in 2022: less than 94% of them

Winchester’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($216 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 $1,139, and the middle half spent $760–$1,490. Winchester spent less than 94% of them.

Middle half of the group, $760–$1,490Median $1,139Winchester

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; Winchester itself left out).

Your share of the 2024 budget

About $2,231 per resident a year, or $6.11 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 17%.

Where the money comes from
From the state 33%Property taxes 30%Fees & charges 28%Interest, fines & other 7%From other local governments <1%Sales taxes <1%Other taxes & licenses <1%
Not in the receipt.Interest on debt $178,000. With these, the whole budget was $10.9 million.
About “Other”.34% of Winchester’s day-to-day spending ($3.7 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 990% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$988,000
2024$10.8 million

Per resident: 2022: $216 · 2024: $2,231. Per resident it went from $216 to $2,231 (up 933%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 4,566 to 4,827.

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 $884 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.91% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Indiana$1,614
Winchester$884
$884
typical bill a year
0.91%
effective rate
$97,600
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.

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.

See winchester-in.gov for Winchester’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Winchester yet.winchester-in.gov ↗
Agendas

Winchester’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on winchester-in.gov ↗.

Who works for Winchester

One full-time city employee for every 121 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 (4,827).

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

Police14
Fire9
Administration & buildings5 + 7 pt
Sewer & trash6
Roads & transportation5
Parks & libraries1 + 1 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections0 + 1 pt
Other0 + 1 pt
40
full-time
10
part-time
$176,939
payroll for March 2022
$2.1M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$50,700
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
14
sworn police officers
9
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Winchester had 8.8 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: Winchester had more than 54% 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

Randolph Central School Corporation

Winchester’s K–12 school district, shared with Franklin Township, Ridgeville, Saratoga, Ward Township, White River Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Winchester →
$12,698
per pupil · IN $13,688
1,431
students
$22.8 million
long-term debt

Of the $12,698 per pupil, $6,802 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 28%State 62%Federal 10%

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

President1,828 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican69.3%1,267 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat28.0%511 votes

Others: 2.7% (50 votes).

Most votes in Winchester: Donald J Trump

Indiana: Trump 58.6%, Harris 39.6%

Turnout
46%

of Winchester’s 3,942 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Indiana: 58%.

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

U.S. Senate1,722 votes
Jim BanksRepublican69.9%
Valerie McCrayDemocrat26.6%
Others3.5%

Most votes in Winchester: Jim Banks

Indiana: Banks 58.6%, McCray 38.8%

Governor1,741 votes
Mike BraunRepublican62.0%
Jennifer G McCormickDemocrat31.1%
Others6.9%

Most votes in Winchester: Mike Braun

President, 2024: Winchester, its county and the state

TrumpHarrisOthersVotes
Winchester69.3%28.0%2.7%1,828
Indiana58.6%39.6%1.8%2,936,677
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
  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.

Reach Winchester’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Winchester’s government

How much does Winchester spend per resident?

About $2,231 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 $216 was less than 94% of 89 Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Winchester?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $884 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.91% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see winchester-in.gov.

Who runs Winchester’s government?

See winchester-in.gov for current officials. 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 69.3%, Kamala D Harris 28.0% (1,828 votes, official results). . Indiana: Trump 58.6%, Harris 39.6%.

How many people work for Winchester?

40 full-time and 10 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $176,939 (about $2.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Winchester in the state legislature?

State Senate District 26 (Scott Alexander) and State House District 33 (J.D. Prescott). The House district also covers 47 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 →