Photo: Corey Coyle · CC BY 3.0Fitchburg spent less per resident in 2022 than 76% of similar cities
Fitchburg’s city government spent $50.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,629 per resident. Water and other utilities ($5.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Fitchburg is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,125 per resident in 2022: less than 76% of them
Fitchburg’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,125 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 21 Wisconsin cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,244, and the middle half spent $1,137–$1,533. Fitchburg spent less than 76% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.5 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 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Fitchburg itself left out).
About $1,629 per resident a year, or $4.46 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 19%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 45% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Fitchburg 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: $1,125 · 2023: $1,336 · 2024: $1,629.
full-time in March 2025, up from 163 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 $7,187 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.72% 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 Fitchburg’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 Fitchburg’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Fitchburg →
Who’s in charge in Fitchburg
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Fitchburg’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on city.fitchburg.wi.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 171 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 (30,834).
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.
Oregon School District
Fitchburg’s K–12 school district, shared with Brooklyn, Oregon, Oregon, Dunn, Blooming Grove and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,952 per pupil, $9,423 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.
Verona Area School District · $16,944 per pupil
Madison Metropolitan School District · $18,827 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Fitchburg voted in 2024
Official results for Fitchburg’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat78.1%14,592 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican19.9%3,720 votesOthers: 2.0% (367 votes).
Most votes in Fitchburg: Kamala D Harris
Dane County: Harris 74.9%, Trump 23.4% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Fitchburg’s 24,531 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Fitchburg: Tammy Baldwin
Dane County: Baldwin 75.3%, Hovde 23.3% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Mark Pocan
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Fitchburg, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitchburg | 78.1% | 19.9% | 2.0% | 18,679 |
| Dane County | 74.9% | 23.4% | 1.8% | 365,929 |
| 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 Fitchburg.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: city.fitchburg.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 Fitchburg compares with the towns next door
Fitchburg spent $1,125 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dunn | $439 | $6,235 |
| Blooming Grove | $458 | $3,894 |
| Verona | $652 | $8,572 |
| Madison | $1,738 | $6,541 |
| Fitchburg | $1,125 | $7,187 |
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 Fitchburg’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Fitchburg’s government
How much does Fitchburg spend per resident?
About $1,629 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 $1,125 was less than 76% of 21 Wisconsin cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Fitchburg?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $7,187 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.72% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see city.fitchburg.wi.us.
Who runs Fitchburg’s government?
See city.fitchburg.wi.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Fitchburg yet.
How did Fitchburg vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 78.1%, Donald J Trump 19.9% (18,679 votes, official results). Dane County: Harris 74.9%, Trump 23.4%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Fitchburg?
180 full-time and 82 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.5M (about $18.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Fitchburg in the state legislature?
State Senate District 16 (Melissa Ratcliff) and Assembly District 47 (Randy Udell). The Assembly district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Fitchburg’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 →