In Jefferson, 78% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Wisconsin
Jefferson’s town government spent $777,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $611 per resident.
What stands out about how Jefferson is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Viroqua Area School District
Jefferson’s K–12 school district, shared with Viroqua, Franklin, Harmony, Viroqua, Sterling and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,590 per pupil, $10,017 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.
Westby Area School District · $16,649 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $611 per resident a year, or $1.67 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 69%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$555 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns
Jefferson’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($555 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 1113 Wisconsin towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $509, and the middle half spent $371–$727. Jefferson spent more than 58% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($37,000), 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 towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Jefferson itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 14% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Jefferson 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: $555 · 2023: $611.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,625 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.49% 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 Jefferson’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Jefferson’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Jefferson →
Who’s in charge in Jefferson
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 636 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (1,272).
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.
How Jefferson voted in 2024
Official results for Jefferson’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican54.9%390 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat43.9%312 votesOthers: 1.3% (9 votes).
Most votes in Jefferson: Donald J Trump
Vernon County: Trump 53.0%, Harris 45.2% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Jefferson’s 909 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Jefferson: Eric Hovde
Vernon County: Hovde 50.4%, Baldwin 47.1% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Derrick Van Orden
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Jefferson, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | 54.9% | 43.9% | 1.3% | 711 |
| Vernon County | 53.0% | 45.2% | 1.7% | 16,609 |
| 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 Jefferson.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Jefferson compares with the towns next door
Jefferson spent $555 per resident in 2022; the 6 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $352 to $1,545. 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 Jefferson’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Jefferson’s government
How much does Jefferson spend per resident?
About $611 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 $555 was more than 58% of 1113 Wisconsin towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Jefferson?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,625 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.49% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Jefferson’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Jefferson yet.
How did Jefferson vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 54.9%, Kamala D Harris 43.9% (711 votes, official results). Vernon County: Trump 53.0%, Harris 45.2%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Jefferson?
2 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $11,694 (about $140,328 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Jefferson in the state legislature?
State Senate District 32 (Brad Pfaff) and Assembly District 96 (Tara Johnson). The Assembly district also covers 33 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Jefferson’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 →