John McSweeney House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainWooster runs its own hospital
Wooster’s city government spent $30.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,142 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. It also runs a hospital ($156.7 million) and water utilities ($4 million), counted separately. Census Bureau figures.
What stands out about how Wooster is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,142 per resident a year, or $3.13 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Wooster yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Wooster’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2023 only (2022 and 2024 are estimates), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), up from 169 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $2,623 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.22% 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 Wooster’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 Wooster’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wooster →
Who’s in charge in Wooster
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Wooster’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on woosteroh.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 154 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (26,751).
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.
Wooster City School District
Wooster’s K–12 school district, shared with Wayne Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,396 per pupil, $10,567 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.
Triway Local School District · $16,467 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Wooster voted in 2024
Official results for Wooster’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican52.6%6,461 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat46.5%5,712 votesOthers: 1.0% (118 votes).
Most votes in Wooster: Donald J Trump
Wayne County: Trump 69.2%, Harris 29.9% · Ohio: Trump 55.1%, Harris 43.9%
of Wooster’s 21,409 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Ohio: 64%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Wooster: Sherrod Brown
Wayne County: Moreno 63.6%, Brown 32.8% · Ohio: Moreno 50.1%, Brown 46.5%
Most votes in the district: Max Miller
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Wooster, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wooster | 52.6% | 46.5% | 1.0% | 12,291 |
| Wayne County | 69.2% | 29.9% | 0.9% | 53,140 |
| 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 Wooster.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: woosteroh.com ↗
- 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 Wooster compares with the towns next door
Wooster’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $120 to $182 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Franklin Township | $120 | $2,391 |
| Wooster Township | $182 | $2,642 |
| Wayne Township | estimate | $4,397 |
| Wooster | estimate | $2,623 |
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 Wooster’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Wooster’s government
How much does Wooster spend per resident?
About $1,142 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. Wooster also runs a hospital ($156.7 million), counted separately.
What is the property tax rate in Wooster?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,623 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.22% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.31% across Ohio. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see woosteroh.com.
Who runs Wooster’s government?
See woosteroh.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wooster yet.
How did Wooster vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 52.6%, Kamala D Harris 46.5% (12,291 votes, official results). Wayne County: Trump 69.2%, Harris 29.9%. Ohio: Trump 55.1%, Harris 43.9%.
How many people work for Wooster?
174 full-time and 546 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 852 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $6.7M (about $79.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Wooster in the state legislature?
State Senate District 31 (Al Landis) and State House District 77 (Meredith Craig). The House district also covers 30 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wooster’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 →