How is Wakefield run?
Wakefield’s city government spent $5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $3,036 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Wakefield didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Wakefield is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $3,036 per resident a year, or $8.32 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Wakefield didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Wakefield yet
Every year of Wakefield’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,248 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.58% of the home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Wakefield’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Wakefield’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wakefield →
Who’s in charge in Wakefield
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 75 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,653).
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.
Wakefield-Marenisco School District
Wakefield’s K–12 school district, shared with Marenisco Township, Wakefield Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,537 per pupil, $10,000 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.
Michigan districts overall: 34% local, 57% state, 9% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Wakefield voted in 2024
Official results for Wakefield’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican65.8%590 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat33.7%302 votesOthers: 0.6% (5 votes).
Most votes in Wakefield: Donald J Trump
Gogebic County: Trump 57.9%, Harris 40.8% · Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%
of Wakefield’s 1,418 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Michigan: 74%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Mike RogersRepublican61.6%
Elissa SlotkinDemocrat34.6%Most votes in Wakefield: Mike Rogers
Gogebic County: Rogers 56.3%, Slotkin 40.4% · Michigan: Slotkin 48.6%, Rogers 48.3%
Most votes in the district: Jack Bergman
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Wakefield, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wakefield | 65.8% | 33.7% | 0.6% | 897 |
| Gogebic County | 57.9% | 40.8% | 1.3% | 8,295 |
| Michigan | 49.7% | 48.3% | 2.0% | 5,664,186 |
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; Elissa Slotkin: U.S. House portrait (congress-legislators project); Mike Rogers: U.S. House portrait (congress-legislators project). 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 Wakefield.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Michigan HouseState representatives
- 3Michigan SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Michigan
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Wakefield compares with the towns next door
Wakefield’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 2 of the 2 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $753 to $921 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Wakefield Township | $753 | $1,531 |
| Bessemer Township | $921 | $1,142 |
| Wakefield | estimate | $1,248 |
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 Wakefield’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Wakefield’s government
How much does Wakefield spend per resident?
About $3,036 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Wakefield didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $6 million.
What is the property tax rate in Wakefield?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,248 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.58% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Wakefield’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wakefield yet.
How did Wakefield vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 65.8%, Kamala D Harris 33.7% (897 votes, official results). Gogebic County: Trump 57.9%, Harris 40.8%. Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%.
How many people work for Wakefield?
22 full-time and 4 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $59,686 (about $716,232 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Wakefield in the state legislature?
State Senate District 38 (Ed McBroom) and State House District 110 (Greg Markkanen). The House district also covers 63 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wakefield’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 (for Wakefield, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →