St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church · Photo: Bill Eichelberger · CC BY-SA 4.0Wilder spent more per resident in 2022 than 86% of similar cities
Wilder’s city government spent $4.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,489 per resident.
What stands out about how Wilder is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,409 per resident in 2022: more than 86% of them
Wilder’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,409 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 85 Kentucky cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $686, and the middle half spent $519–$957. Wilder spent more than 86% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Kentucky cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Wilder itself left out).
About $1,489 per resident a year, or $4.08 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: fire, at 38%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 8% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Wilder 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: $1,409 · 2023: $1,425 · 2024: $1,489.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,432 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.90% of the home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Wilder’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 Wilder’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wilder →
Who’s in charge in Wilder
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 142 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 (3,123).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Campbell County School District
Wilder’s K–12 school district, shared with Alexandria, California, Cold Spring, Crestview, Melbourne and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,103 per pupil, $8,031 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.
Kentucky districts overall: 37% local, 46% state, 17% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Wilder’s votes are counted by county
Kentucky reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wilder alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Campbell County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican58.9%28,450 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.2%18,952 votesOthers: 1.9% (932 votes).
Most votes in Campbell County: Donald J Trump
Kentucky: Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.9%
100% of Wilder lies in Campbell County. Every 2024 race in Campbell County is on the county’s page.
Campbell 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
Every level of government that speaks for Wilder.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Kentucky HouseState representatives
- 3Kentucky SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kentucky
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Wilder compares with the towns next door
Wilder spent $1,409 per resident in 2022; the 6 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $429 to $1,357. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Spring | $429 | $2,369 |
| Highland Heights | $584 | $1,688 |
| Southgate | $602 | $2,240 |
| Taylor Mill | $612 | $2,432 |
| Newport | $1,074 | $2,387 |
| Covington | $1,357 | $2,085 |
| Wilder | $1,409 | $1,432 |
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 Wilder’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Wilder’s government
How much does Wilder spend per resident?
About $1,489 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,409 was more than 86% of 85 Kentucky cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Wilder?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,432 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.90% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Wilder’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wilder yet.
How did Wilder vote in 2024?
Kentucky counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wilder alone. Campbell County, where 100% of Wilder lies, voted Trump 58.9%, Harris 39.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Wilder?
22 full-time and 25 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $175,986 (about $2.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Wilder in the state legislature?
State Senate District 24 (Shelley Frommeyer) and State House District 67 (Matt Lehman). The House district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wilder’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 →