Anderson, Brady and Waldermar Ager House · Photo: Jeff the quiet · CC0How is Eau Claire run?
Eau Claire’s city government spent $102 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,462 per resident. Water and other utilities ($18.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Eau Claire is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,462 per resident a year, or $4.01 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 18%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,339 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Eau Claire’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,339 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 31 Wisconsin cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,282, and the middle half spent $1,153–$1,453. Eau Claire spent more than 52% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($10.4 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 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Eau Claire itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 10% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Eau Claire 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: $1,339 · 2023: $1,428 · 2024: $1,462.
full-time in March 2025, up from 541 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 $3,553 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.43% 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 Eau Claire’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 Eau Claire’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Eau Claire →
Who’s in charge in Eau Claire
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Eau Claire’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on eauclairewi.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 119 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 (69,737).
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.
Eau Claire Area School District
Eau Claire’s K–12 school district, shared with Union, Brunswick, Washington, Pleasant Valley, Rock Creek and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,347 per pupil, $9,227 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 Eau Claire voted in 2024
Official results for Eau Claire’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat60.5%24,493 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican37.8%15,301 votesOthers: 1.7% (699 votes).
Most votes in Eau Claire: Kamala D Harris
Eau Claire County: Harris 54.5%, Trump 43.9% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Eau Claire’s 56,649 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Eau Claire: Tammy Baldwin
Eau Claire County: Baldwin 55.1%, Hovde 42.6% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Derrick Van Orden
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Eau Claire, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eau Claire | 60.5% | 37.8% | 1.7% | 40,493 |
| Eau Claire County | 54.5% | 43.9% | 1.7% | 63,177 |
| 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 Eau Claire.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: eauclairewi.gov ↗
- 2Wisconsin AssemblyEau Claire is split between 3 districts
- 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 Eau Claire compares with the towns next door
Eau Claire spent $1,339 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $146 | $3,952 |
| Seymour | $225 | $3,123 |
| Brunswick | $246 | $3,473 |
| Union | $357 | $2,827 |
| Wheaton | $391 | $2,990 |
| Lake Hallie | $501 | $3,273 |
| Altoona | $1,128 | $3,535 |
| Eau Claire | $1,339 | $3,553 |
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 Eau Claire’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Eau Claire’s government
How much does Eau Claire spend per resident?
About $1,462 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 $1,339 was more than 52% of 31 Wisconsin cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Eau Claire?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,553 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.43% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see eauclairewi.gov.
Who runs Eau Claire’s government?
See eauclairewi.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Eau Claire yet.
How did Eau Claire vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 60.5%, Donald J Trump 37.8% (40,493 votes, official results). Eau Claire County: Harris 54.5%, Trump 43.9%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Eau Claire?
586 full-time and 147 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.2M (about $49.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Eau Claire in the state legislature?
Eau Claire is split among 3 Assembly districts, so your address decides. The Wisconsin Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 31 (Jeff Smith). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Eau Claire’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 →