Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0Merrill spent more per resident in 2022 than 92% of similar cities
Merrill’s city government spent $15.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,739 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.3 million) and the airport ($185,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Merrill is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,739 per resident in 2022: more than 92% of them
Merrill’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,739 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. Merrill spent more than 92% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.1 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; Merrill itself left out).
About $1,739 per resident a year, or $4.76 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 19%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Merrill reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $2,415 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.95% 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 Merrill’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 Merrill’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Merrill →
Who’s in charge in Merrill
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Merrill’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.merrill.wi.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 95 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 (8,990).
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.
Merrill Area School District
Merrill’s K–12 school district, shared with Corning, Harding, Merrill, Pine River, Russell and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,948 per pupil, $7,545 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 Merrill voted in 2024
Official results for Merrill’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican55.9%2,720 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat42.2%2,054 votesOthers: 1.9% (90 votes).
Most votes in Merrill: Donald J Trump
Lincoln County: Trump 61.8%, Harris 36.6% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Merrill’s 7,587 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Merrill: Eric Hovde
Lincoln County: Hovde 59.2%, Baldwin 38.5% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Tom Tiffany
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Merrill, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merrill | 55.9% | 42.2% | 1.9% | 4,864 |
| Lincoln County | 61.8% | 36.6% | 1.6% | 17,209 |
| 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 Merrill.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.merrill.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 Merrill compares with the towns next door
Merrill spent $1,739 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Scott | $317 | $2,860 |
| Pine River | $362 | $2,995 |
| Merrill | $1,739 | $2,415 |
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 Merrill’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Merrill’s government
How much does Merrill spend per resident?
About $1,739 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 $1,739 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 Merrill?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,415 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.95% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.merrill.wi.us.
Who runs Merrill’s government?
See ci.merrill.wi.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Merrill yet.
How did Merrill vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 55.9%, Kamala D Harris 42.2% (4,864 votes, official results). Lincoln County: Trump 61.8%, Harris 36.6%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Merrill?
95 full-time and 39 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $563,146 (about $6.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Merrill in the state legislature?
State Senate District 12 (Mary Felzkowski) and Assembly District 35 (Calvin Callahan). The Assembly district also covers 49 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Merrill’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 →