Photo: Amcc0619 · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Chippewa Falls run?
Chippewa Falls’ city government spent $19 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,289 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Chippewa Falls is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,289 per resident a year, or $3.53 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: fire, at 18%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,215 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Chippewa Falls’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,215 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. Chippewa Falls spent more than 54% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.8 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; Chippewa Falls itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 9% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Chippewa Falls 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: $1,215 · 2023: $1,289.
full-time in March 2025, up from 97 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,762 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.31% 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 Chippewa Falls’ 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 Chippewa Falls’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Chippewa Falls →
Who’s in charge in Chippewa Falls
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Chippewa Falls’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.chippewa-falls.wi.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 149 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (14,778).
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.
Chippewa Falls Area School District
Chippewa Falls’ K–12 school district, shared with Hallie, Lake Hallie, Tilden, Eagle Point, Lafayette and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,430 per pupil, $8,199 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 Chippewa Falls voted in 2024
Official results for Chippewa Falls’ own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican50.0%3,848 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat48.3%3,720 votesOthers: 1.7% (130 votes).
Most votes in Chippewa Falls: Donald J Trump
Chippewa County: Trump 60.8%, Harris 37.9% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Chippewa Falls’ 11,663 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Chippewa Falls: Tammy Baldwin
Chippewa County: Hovde 58.3%, Baldwin 39.1% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Derrick Van Orden
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Chippewa Falls, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chippewa Falls | 50.0% | 48.3% | 1.7% | 7,698 |
| Chippewa County | 60.8% | 37.9% | 1.3% | 38,471 |
| 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 Chippewa Falls.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.chippewa-falls.wi.us ↗
- 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 Chippewa Falls compares with the towns next door
Chippewa Falls spent $1,215 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Tilden | $232 | $2,976 |
| Eagle Point | $386 | $3,302 |
| Wheaton | $391 | $2,990 |
| Lafayette | $406 | $3,608 |
| Lake Hallie | $501 | $3,273 |
| Chippewa Falls | $1,215 | $2,762 |
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 Chippewa Falls’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Chippewa Falls’ government
How much does Chippewa Falls spend per resident?
About $1,289 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 $1,215 was more than 54% of 59 Wisconsin cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Chippewa Falls?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,762 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.31% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.chippewa-falls.wi.us.
Who runs Chippewa Falls’ government?
See ci.chippewa-falls.wi.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Chippewa Falls yet.
How did Chippewa Falls vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 50.0%, Kamala D Harris 48.3% (7,698 votes, official results). Chippewa County: Trump 60.8%, Harris 37.9%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Chippewa Falls?
99 full-time and 28 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $692,093 (about $8.3M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Chippewa Falls in the state legislature?
State Senate District 31 (Jeff Smith) and Assembly District 92 (Clint Moses). The Assembly district also covers 11 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Chippewa Falls’ 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 →