Milwaukee Falls Lime Company · Photo: Sallyajackson · CC BY-SA 3.0Grafton spent more per resident in 2022 than 73% of similar cities
Grafton’s village government spent $14.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,210 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Grafton is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
$1,347 per resident in 2022: more than 73% of them
Grafton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,347 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. Grafton spent more than 73% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.9 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; Grafton itself left out).
About $1,210 per resident a year, or $3.32 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 6% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Grafton 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: $1,347 · 2023: $1,210.
full-time in March 2025, up from 71 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 $4,360 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.33% 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 Grafton’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 Grafton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Grafton →
Who’s in charge in Grafton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Grafton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The village posts agendas and minutes on village.grafton.wi.us ↗.
One full-time village employee for every 132 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (12,298).
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.
Grafton School District
Grafton’s K–12 school district, shared with Grafton. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,668 per pupil, $8,229 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.
Cedarburg School District · $13,053 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Grafton voted in 2024
Official results for Grafton’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican54.2%4,569 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat44.2%3,725 votesOthers: 1.5% (129 votes).
Most votes in Grafton: Donald J Trump
Ozaukee County: Trump 54.4%, Harris 43.9% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Grafton’s 9,848 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Grafton: Eric Hovde
Ozaukee County: Hovde 55.4%, Baldwin 43.1% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Glenn Grothman
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Grafton, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grafton | 54.2% | 44.2% | 1.5% | 8,423 |
| Ozaukee County | 54.4% | 43.9% | 1.7% | 63,472 |
| 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 Grafton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: village.grafton.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 Grafton compares with the towns next door
Grafton spent $1,347 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $419 to $1,834. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
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 Grafton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Grafton’s government
How much does Grafton spend per resident?
About $1,210 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 $1,347 was more than 73% of 59 Wisconsin cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Grafton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,360 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.33% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see village.grafton.wi.us.
Who runs Grafton’s government?
See village.grafton.wi.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Grafton yet.
How did Grafton vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 54.2%, Kamala D Harris 44.2% (8,423 votes, official results). Ozaukee County: Trump 54.4%, Harris 43.9%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Grafton?
93 full-time and 81 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $729,659 (about $8.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Grafton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 8 (Jodi Habush Sinykin) and Assembly District 22 (Paul Melotik). The Assembly district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Grafton’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 →