Island Woolen Company Office Building · Photo: Tgkrause · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Baraboo run?
Baraboo’s city government spent $18.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,494 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Baraboo is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,494 per resident a year, or $4.09 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 24%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,258 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Baraboo’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,258 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 59 Wisconsin cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,152, and the middle half spent $949–$1,409. Baraboo spent more than 59% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.1 million), 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Baraboo itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 24% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Baraboo 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: $1,258 · 2024: $1,494.
full-time in March 2025, up from 69 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,707 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.67% 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 Baraboo’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 Baraboo’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Baraboo →
Who’s in charge in Baraboo
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Baraboo’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofbaraboo.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 160 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (12,633).
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.
Baraboo School District
Baraboo’s K–12 school district, shared with Baraboo, Greenfield, North Freedom, West Baraboo, Fairfield and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,823 per pupil, $7,696 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 Baraboo voted in 2024
Official results for Baraboo’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat55.7%3,794 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican42.5%2,894 votesOthers: 1.8% (122 votes).
Most votes in Baraboo: Kamala D Harris
Sauk County: Trump 50.0%, Harris 48.4% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Baraboo’s 10,370 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Baraboo: Tammy Baldwin
Sauk County: Baldwin 49.6%, Hovde 48.1% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Mark Pocan
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Baraboo, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baraboo | 55.7% | 42.5% | 1.8% | 6,810 |
| Sauk County | 48.4% | 50.0% | 1.6% | 37,584 |
| Wisconsin | 48.7% | 49.6% | 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 Baraboo.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofbaraboo.com ↗
- 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 Baraboo compares with the towns next door
Baraboo spent $1,258 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $420 to $1,020. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Greenfield | $420 | $4,384 |
| West Baraboo | $1,020 | $3,613 |
| Baraboo | $1,258 | $3,707 |
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 Baraboo’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Baraboo’s government
How much does Baraboo spend per resident?
About $1,494 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,258 was more than 59% of 59 Wisconsin cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Baraboo?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,707 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.67% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofbaraboo.com.
Who runs Baraboo’s government?
See cityofbaraboo.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Baraboo yet.
How did Baraboo vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 55.7%, Donald J Trump 42.5% (6,810 votes, official results). Sauk County: Trump 50.0%, Harris 48.4%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Baraboo?
79 full-time and 29 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $533,746 (about $6.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Baraboo in the state legislature?
State Senate District 14 (Sarah Keyeski) and Assembly District 40 (Karen DeSanto). The Assembly district also covers 26 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Baraboo’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 →