Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Wichita spent more per resident in 2022 than 69% of similar cities
Wichita’s city government spent $417.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,054 per resident. Water and other utilities ($67.8 million) and the airport ($26.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Wichita is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Wichita
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: wichita.gov ↗
Wichita’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on wichita.gov ↗.
About $1,054 per resident a year, or $2.89 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$813 per resident in 2022: more than 69% of them
Wichita’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($813 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 307 Kansas cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $613, and the middle half spent $300–$915. Wichita spent more than 69% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($43.9 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 →
Kansas cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Wichita itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 31% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Wichita 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: $813 · 2023: $819 · 2024: $1,054.
full-time in March 2025, up from 2,674 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 $2,233 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.17% of the home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Wichita’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 Wichita’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wichita →
One full-time city employee for every 138 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 (396,192).
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.
Wichita Unified School District 259
Wichita’s K–12 school district, shared with Eastborough, Bel Aire, Minneha Township, Kechi Township, Kechi and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,000 per pupil, $8,328 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.
Kansas districts overall: 28% local, 61% state, 11% federal.
Maize Unified School District 266 · $14,583 per pupil
Goddard Unified School District 265 · $15,301 per pupil
Haysville Unified School District 261 · $13,563 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Wichita’s votes are counted by county
Kansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wichita alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Sedgwick County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican56.1%120,118 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat42.3%90,506 votesOthers: 1.6% (3,528 votes).
Most votes in Sedgwick County: Donald J Trump
Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
100% of Wichita lies in Sedgwick County. Every 2024 race in Sedgwick County is on the county’s page.
Sedgwick County’s 2024 results →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.
From town hall to Washington
Wichita sends 22 representatives to the Kansas House alone.
- 1Your cityMayorLily Wuas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Kansas HouseWichita is split between 22 districts
- 3Kansas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kansas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Wichita compares with the towns next door
No neighbor is close in size, so the comparison above uses Kansas cities that don’t run their own schools. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Kechi Township | $7 | $2,468 |
| Park Township | $18 | $4,228 |
| Gypsum Township | $21 | $4,545 |
| Riverside Township | $41 | $2,182 |
| Waco Township | $141 | $2,729 |
| Payne Township | $305 | $4,586 |
| Minneha Township | $434 | $4,402 |
| Attica Township | estimate | $2,917 |
| Maize | estimate | $3,804 |
| Wichita | $813 | $2,233 |
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 Wichita’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Wichita’s government
How much does Wichita spend per resident?
About $1,054 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 $813 was more than 69% of 307 Kansas cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Wichita?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,233 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.17% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see wichita.gov.
Who is the mayor of Wichita?
Lily Wu, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on wichita.gov.
How did Wichita vote in 2024?
Kansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wichita alone. Sedgwick County, where 100% of Wichita lies, voted Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Wichita?
2,876 full-time and 347 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $19.7M (about $236.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Wichita in the state legislature?
Wichita is split among 22 State House districts and 8 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Kansas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wichita’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 →