Photo: Downspec · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Hayward run?
Hayward’s city government spent $2.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,073 per resident. Water and other utilities ($491,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Hayward is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,073 per resident a year, or $2.94 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 31%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,073 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Hayward’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,073 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 $1,107, and the middle half spent $864–$1,431. Hayward spent less than 53% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($734,000), 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; Hayward itself left out).
No trend yet
Hayward reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,789 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.97% 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 Hayward’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 Hayward’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Hayward →
Who’s in charge in Hayward
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Hayward’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofhaywardwi.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 147 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (2,352).
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.
Hayward Community School District
Hayward’s K–12 school district, shared with Bass Lake, Lenroot, Round Lake, Stinnett, Spider Lake and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,052 per pupil, $8,909 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 Hayward voted in 2024
Official results for Hayward’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican58.2%721 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat40.1%497 votesOthers: 1.6% (20 votes).
Most votes in Hayward: Donald J Trump
Sawyer County: Trump 57.6%, Harris 41.3% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Hayward’s 1,959 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Hayward: Eric Hovde
Sawyer County: Hovde 56.3%, Baldwin 41.9% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Tom Tiffany
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Hayward, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayward | 58.2% | 40.1% | 1.6% | 1,238 |
| Sawyer County | 57.6% | 41.3% | 1.1% | 11,140 |
| 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 Hayward.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofhaywardwi.gov ↗
- 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.
Reach Hayward’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Hayward’s government
How much does Hayward spend per resident?
About $1,073 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,073 was less than 53% of 375 Wisconsin cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Hayward?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,789 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.97% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofhaywardwi.gov.
Who runs Hayward’s government?
See cityofhaywardwi.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Hayward yet.
How did Hayward vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 58.2%, Kamala D Harris 40.1% (1,238 votes, official results). Sawyer County: Trump 57.6%, Harris 41.3%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Hayward?
16 full-time and 14 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $97,028 (about $1.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Hayward in the state legislature?
State Senate District 25 (Romaine Quinn) and Assembly District 74 (Chanz Green). The Assembly district also covers 91 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Hayward’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 →