Photo: The original uploader was Nationalparks at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 2.5Bayfield spent more per resident in 2022 than 99% of similar cities
Bayfield’s city government spent $2.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $4,027 per resident. Water and other utilities ($360,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bayfield is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$4,496 per resident in 2022: more than 99% of them
Bayfield’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($4,496 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 $1,105, and the middle half spent $864–$1,416. Bayfield spent more than 99% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($568,000), 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; Bayfield itself left out).
About $4,027 per resident a year, or $11.03 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 13% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bayfield 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: $4,496 · 2024: $4,027. Per resident it went from $4,496 to $4,027 (down 10%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 474 to 596.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,964 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.24% 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 Bayfield’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Bayfield’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bayfield →
Who’s in charge in Bayfield
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bayfield’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofbayfield.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 66 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (596).
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.
Bayfield School District
Bayfield’s K–12 school district, shared with Bayfield, La Pointe, Russell. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $32,076 per pupil, $18,454 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 Bayfield voted in 2024
Official results for Bayfield’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat81.2%306 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican17.8%67 votesOthers: 1.1% (4 votes).
Most votes in Bayfield: Kamala D Harris
Bayfield County: Harris 54.3%, Trump 43.2% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Bayfield’s 493 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Bayfield: Tammy Baldwin
Bayfield County: Baldwin 56.0%, Hovde 42.1% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Tom Tiffany
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Bayfield, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayfield | 81.2% | 17.8% | 1.1% | 377 |
| Bayfield County | 54.3% | 43.2% | 2.4% | 11,240 |
| 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 Bayfield.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofbayfield.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.
Reach Bayfield’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bayfield’s government
How much does Bayfield spend per resident?
About $4,027 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 $4,496 was more than 99% of 375 Wisconsin cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bayfield?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,964 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.24% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofbayfield.com.
Who runs Bayfield’s government?
See cityofbayfield.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bayfield yet.
How did Bayfield vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 81.2%, Donald J Trump 17.8% (377 votes, official results). Bayfield County: Harris 54.3%, Trump 43.2%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Bayfield?
9 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $53,912 (about $646,944 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bayfield in the state legislature?
State Senate District 25 (Romaine Quinn) and Assembly District 73 (Angela Stroud). The Assembly district also covers 34 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bayfield’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 →