Photo: Corey Coyle · CC BY 3.0How is Elkhorn run?
Elkhorn’s city government spent $14.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,431 per resident. Water and other utilities ($18 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Elkhorn is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,431 per resident a year, or $3.92 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,243 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Elkhorn’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,243 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. Elkhorn spent more than 56% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3 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; Elkhorn itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 18% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Elkhorn 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: $1,243 · 2023: $1,396 · 2024: $1,431.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,145 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.51% 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 Elkhorn’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 Elkhorn’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Elkhorn →
Who’s in charge in Elkhorn
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Elkhorn’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofelkhorn.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 151 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (10,240).
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.
Elkhorn Area School District
Elkhorn’s K–12 school district, shared with Lafayette, Sugar Creek, Geneva. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,383 per pupil, $8,172 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 Elkhorn voted in 2024
Official results for Elkhorn’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican58.7%3,098 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat40.2%2,122 votesOthers: 1.2% (61 votes).
Most votes in Elkhorn: Donald J Trump
Walworth County: Trump 60.4%, Harris 38.2% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Elkhorn’s 7,761 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Elkhorn: Eric Hovde
Walworth County: Hovde 59.5%, Baldwin 38.1% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Bryan Steil
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Elkhorn, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elkhorn | 58.7% | 40.2% | 1.2% | 5,281 |
| Walworth County | 60.4% | 38.2% | 1.4% | 60,597 |
| 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 Elkhorn.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofelkhorn.org ↗
- 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 Elkhorn compares with the towns next door
Elkhorn spent $1,243 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar Creek | $276 | $3,587 |
| Lafayette | $428 | $4,626 |
| Geneva | $708 | $4,752 |
| Delavan | $782 | $3,899 |
| Elkhorn | $1,243 | $4,145 |
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 Elkhorn’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Elkhorn’s government
How much does Elkhorn spend per resident?
About $1,431 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 $1,243 was more than 56% of 59 Wisconsin cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Elkhorn?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,145 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.51% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofelkhorn.org.
Who runs Elkhorn’s government?
See cityofelkhorn.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Elkhorn yet.
How did Elkhorn vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 58.7%, Kamala D Harris 40.2% (5,281 votes, official results). Walworth County: Trump 60.4%, Harris 38.2%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Elkhorn?
68 full-time and 74 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $305,097 (about $3.7M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Elkhorn in the state legislature?
State Senate District 11 (Steve Nass) and Assembly District 31 (Tyler August). The Assembly district also covers 18 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Elkhorn’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 →