Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0Eagle River spent more per resident in 2022 than 95% of similar cities
Eagle River’s city government spent $4.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $2,564 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Eagle River is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,577 per resident in 2022: more than 95% of them
Eagle River’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,577 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. Eagle River spent more than 95% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($889,000), 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; Eagle River itself left out).
About $2,564 per resident a year, or $7.02 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 6% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Eagle River 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: $2,577 · 2023: $2,564. Per resident it went from $2,577 to $2,564 (down 1%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,582 to 1,678.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,267 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.06% 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 Eagle River’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 Eagle River’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Eagle River →
Who’s in charge in Eagle River
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Eagle River’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on eagleriver.govoffice2.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 140 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 (1,678).
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.
Northland Pines School District
Eagle River’s K–12 school district, shared with Cloverland, Conover, Lincoln, Plum Lake, St. Germain and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,811 per pupil, $9,637 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 Eagle River voted in 2024
Official results for Eagle River’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.0%547 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.6%367 votesOthers: 1.4% (13 votes).
Most votes in Eagle River: Donald J Trump
Vilas County: Trump 61.0%, Harris 37.9% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Eagle River’s 1,264 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Eagle River: Eric Hovde
Vilas County: Hovde 60.0%, Baldwin 38.2% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Tom Tiffany
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Eagle River, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle River | 59.0% | 39.6% | 1.4% | 927 |
| Vilas County | 61.0% | 37.9% | 1.1% | 16,135 |
| 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 Eagle River.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: eagleriver.govoffice2.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 Eagle River compares with the towns next door
Eagle River spent $2,577 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln | $410 | $1,827 |
| Eagle River | $2,577 | $2,267 |
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 Eagle River’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Eagle River’s government
How much does Eagle River spend per resident?
About $2,564 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 $2,577 was more than 95% of 375 Wisconsin cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Eagle River?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,267 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.06% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see eagleriver.govoffice2.com.
Who runs Eagle River’s government?
See eagleriver.govoffice2.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Eagle River yet.
How did Eagle River vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 59.0%, Kamala D Harris 39.6% (927 votes, official results). Vilas County: Trump 61.0%, Harris 37.9%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Eagle River?
12 full-time and 3 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $73,744 (about $884,928 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Eagle River in the state legislature?
State Senate District 12 (Mary Felzkowski) and Assembly District 34 (Rob Swearingen). The Assembly district also covers 34 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Eagle River’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 →