Adams spent less per resident in 2022 than 97% of similar towns
Adams’ town government spent $622,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $447 per resident.
What stands out about how Adams is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$243 per resident in 2022: less than 97% of them
Adams’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($243 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 1113 Wisconsin towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $511, and the middle half spent $373–$727. Adams spent less than 97% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Wisconsin towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Adams itself left out).
About $447 per resident a year, or $1.22 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 48%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 85% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Adams 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: $243 · 2023: $447.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,197 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.29% of the home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Adams’ 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 Adams’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Adams →
Who’s in charge in Adams
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 697 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (1,393).
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.
Black River Falls School District
Adams’ K–12 school district, shared with Black River Falls, Brockway, Hixton, Komensky, Manchester and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,517 per pupil, $9,119 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.
Wisconsin districts overall: 39% local, 50% state, 11% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Adams voted in 2024
Official results for Adams’ own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican60.2%541 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.0%351 votesOthers: 0.8% (7 votes).
Most votes in Adams: Donald J Trump
Jackson County: Trump 59.1%, Harris 39.6% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Adams’ 1,279 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Adams: Eric Hovde
Jackson County: Hovde 55.4%, Baldwin 41.5% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Derrick Van Orden
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Adams, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 60.2% | 39.0% | 0.8% | 899 |
| Jackson County | 59.1% | 39.6% | 1.3% | 10,502 |
| Wisconsin | 49.6% | 48.7% | 1.7% | 3,422,918 |
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 Adams.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Wisconsin AssemblyState representatives
- 3Wisconsin SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Wisconsin
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Adams compares with the towns next door
Adams spent $243 per resident in 2022; the 6 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $278 to $1,696. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
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 Adams’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Adams’ government
How much does Adams spend per resident?
About $447 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $243 was less than 97% of 1113 Wisconsin towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Adams?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,197 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.29% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Adams’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Adams yet.
How did Adams vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 60.2%, Kamala D Harris 39.0% (899 votes, official results). Jackson County: Trump 59.1%, Harris 39.6%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Adams?
2 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $11,210 (about $134,520 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Adams in the state legislature?
State Senate District 24 (Patrick Testin) and Assembly District 70 (Nancy VanderMeer). The Assembly district also covers 58 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Adams’ 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 →