Main Street Historic District · Photo: Teemu08 · CC BY-SA 3.0Lake Geneva spent more per resident in 2022 than 92% of similar cities
Lake Geneva’s city government spent $16.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,955 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Lake Geneva is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,730 per resident in 2022: more than 92% of them
Lake Geneva’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,730 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 134 Wisconsin cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,174, and the middle half spent $990–$1,409. Lake Geneva spent more than 92% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.5 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Lake Geneva itself left out).
About $1,955 per resident a year, or $5.36 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 19% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Lake Geneva 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: $1,730 · 2023: $1,955. Per resident it went from $1,730 to $1,955 (up 13%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 8,096 to 8,504.
full-time in March 2025, up from 87 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 $4,313 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.25% 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 Lake Geneva’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 Lake Geneva’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lake Geneva →
Who’s in charge in Lake Geneva
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Lake Geneva’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityoflakegeneva.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 73 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 (8,504).
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.
Lake Geneva-Genoa City Union High School District
Lake Geneva’s high school district, shared with Bloomfield, Bloomfield, Geneva, Lafayette, Lyons and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,940 per pupil, $10,018 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.
Lake Geneva Joint No. 1 School District · $15,186 per pupil
Linn Joint No. 4 School District · $24,609 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Lake Geneva voted in 2024
Official results for Lake Geneva’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican52.9%2,524 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat45.7%2,177 votesOthers: 1.4% (66 votes).
Most votes in Lake Geneva: Donald J Trump
Walworth County: Trump 60.4%, Harris 38.2% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Lake Geneva’s 6,774 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Lake Geneva: 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: Lake Geneva, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Geneva | 52.9% | 45.7% | 1.4% | 4,767 |
| 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 Lake Geneva.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityoflakegeneva.com ↗
- 2Wisconsin AssemblyLake Geneva is split between 2 districts
- 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 Lake Geneva compares with the towns next door
Lake Geneva spent $1,730 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lyons | $412 | $3,261 |
| Bloomfield | $482 | $1,895 |
| Geneva | $708 | $4,752 |
| Bloomfield | $740 | $3,680 |
| Linn | $1,816 | $4,849 |
| Lake Geneva | $1,730 | $4,313 |
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 Lake Geneva’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Lake Geneva’s government
How much does Lake Geneva spend per resident?
About $1,955 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 $1,730 was more than 92% of 134 Wisconsin cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Lake Geneva?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,313 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.25% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityoflakegeneva.com.
Who runs Lake Geneva’s government?
See cityoflakegeneva.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lake Geneva yet.
How did Lake Geneva vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 52.9%, Kamala D Harris 45.7% (4,767 votes, official results). Walworth County: Trump 60.4%, Harris 38.2%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Lake Geneva?
116 full-time and 61 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $884,304 (about $10.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Lake Geneva in the state legislature?
Lake Geneva is split among 2 Assembly districts, so your address decides. The Wisconsin Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 11 (Steve Nass). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lake Geneva’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 →