Photo: Art Anderson · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Van Wert run?
Van Wert’s city government spent $20.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,817 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Van Wert didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Van Wert is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,817 per resident a year, or $4.98 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Van Wert didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Van Wert yet
Every year of Van Wert’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. 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 $1,231 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.99% of the home’s value, vs 1.31% across Ohio.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Van Wert’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 Van Wert’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Van Wert →
Who’s in charge in Van Wert
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Van Wert’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on vanwert.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 104 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (11,063).
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.
Van Wert City School District
Van Wert’s K–12 school district, shared with Ohio City, Liberty Township, Pleasant Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,397 per pupil, $8,304 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.
Ohio districts overall: 53% local, 35% state, 12% federal.
Lincolnview Local School District · $15,981 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Van Wert voted in 2024
Official results for Van Wert’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican71.5%3,586 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat27.6%1,386 votesOthers: 0.9% (46 votes).
Most votes in Van Wert: Donald J Trump
Van Wert County: Trump 78.9%, Harris 20.4% · Ohio: Trump 55.1%, Harris 43.9%
of Van Wert’s 8,210 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Ohio: 64%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Van Wert: Bernie Moreno
Van Wert County: Moreno 74.1%, Brown 21.9% · Ohio: Moreno 50.1%, Brown 46.5%
Most votes in the district: Bob Latta
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Van Wert, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Van Wert | 71.5% | 27.6% | 0.9% | 5,018 |
| Van Wert County | 78.9% | 20.4% | 0.8% | 14,729 |
| Ohio | 55.1% | 43.9% | 0.9% | 5,767,788 |
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 Van Wert.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: vanwert.org ↗
- 2Ohio HouseState representatives
- 3Ohio SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Ohio
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Van Wert compares with the towns next door
Van Wert’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 1 of the 2 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $113 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Ridge Township | $113 | $1,716 |
| Pleasant Township | estimate | $1,281 |
| Van Wert | estimate | $1,231 |
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 Van Wert’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Van Wert’s government
How much does Van Wert spend per resident?
About $1,817 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Van Wert didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $23.6 million.
What is the property tax rate in Van Wert?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,231 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.99% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.31% across Ohio. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see vanwert.org.
Who runs Van Wert’s government?
See vanwert.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Van Wert yet.
How did Van Wert vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 71.5%, Kamala D Harris 27.6% (5,018 votes, official results). Van Wert County: Trump 78.9%, Harris 20.4%. Ohio: Trump 55.1%, Harris 43.9%.
How many people work for Van Wert?
106 full-time and 18 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $467,901 (about $5.6M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Van Wert in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Rob McColley) and State House District 82 (Roy Klopfenstein). The House district also covers 83 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Van Wert’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 Van Wert, 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 →