Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Adams run?
Adams’ city government spent $1.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,008 per resident. Water and other utilities ($351,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Adams is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,008 per resident a year, or $2.76 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,008 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Adams’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,008 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 375 Wisconsin cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,107, and the middle half spent $864–$1,431. Adams spent less than 60% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($699,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Wisconsin cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Adams itself left out).
No trend yet
Adams reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,298 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.27% 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.
Adams’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofadams-wi.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 136 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 2022 finance file (1,905).
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.
Adams-Friendship Area School District
Adams’ K–12 school district, shared with Adams, Big Flats, Easton, Friendship, Lincoln and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,186 per pupil, $9,781 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 TrumpRepublican56.0%481 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat36.3%312 votesOthers: 7.7% (66 votes).
Most votes in Adams: Donald J Trump
Adams County: Trump 60.3%, Harris 34.5% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Adams’ 1,660 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
Adams County: Hovde 59.2%, Baldwin 37.7% · 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 | 56.0% | 36.3% | 7.7% | 859 |
| Adams County | 60.3% | 34.5% | 5.2% | 12,882 |
| 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 cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofadams-wi.gov ↗
- 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.
Reach Adams’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Adams’ government
How much does Adams spend per resident?
About $1,008 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,008 was less than 60% of 375 Wisconsin cities 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 $1,298 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.27% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofadams-wi.gov.
Who runs Adams’ government?
See cityofadams-wi.gov for current officials. 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 56.0%, Kamala D Harris 36.3% (859 votes, official results). Adams County: Trump 60.3%, Harris 34.5%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Adams?
14 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $93,664 (about $1.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Adams in the state legislature?
State Senate District 24 (Patrick Testin) and Assembly District 72 (Scott Krug). The Assembly district also covers 30 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 →