Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0In Oak Creek, 79% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Wisconsin
Oak Creek’s city government spent $48.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,346 per resident. Water and other utilities ($9.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Oak Creek is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,346 per resident a year, or $3.69 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,282 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Oak Creek’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,282 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 21 Wisconsin cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,227, and the middle half spent $1,125–$1,533. Oak Creek spent more than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($6.8 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 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Oak Creek itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 4% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Oak Creek 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: $1,282 · 2023: $1,208 · 2024: $1,346.
full-time in March 2025, up from 265 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 $5,839 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.76% 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 Oak Creek’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 Oak Creek’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Oak Creek →
Who’s in charge in Oak Creek
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Oak Creek’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on oakcreekwi.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 127 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (36,087).
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.
Oak Creek-Franklin School District
Oak Creek’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,710 per pupil, $7,691 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 Oak Creek voted in 2024
Official results for Oak Creek’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican51.1%11,096 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat46.3%10,056 votesOthers: 2.6% (568 votes).
Most votes in Oak Creek: Donald J Trump
Milwaukee County: Harris 68.2%, Trump 29.7% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Oak Creek’s 27,441 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Oak Creek: Eric Hovde
Milwaukee County: Baldwin 68.9%, Hovde 28.8% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Bryan Steil
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Oak Creek, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Creek | 51.1% | 46.3% | 2.6% | 21,720 |
| Milwaukee County | 29.7% | 68.2% | 2.1% | 464,107 |
| 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 Oak Creek.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: oakcreekwi.org ↗
- 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 Oak Creek compares with the towns next door
Oak Creek spent $1,282 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,078 to $1,768. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Caledonia | $1,078 | $4,596 |
| South Milwaukee | $1,098 | $4,420 |
| Franklin | $1,108 | $6,354 |
| Cudahy | $1,437 | $4,407 |
| Milwaukee | $1,768 | $3,668 |
| Oak Creek | $1,282 | $5,839 |
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 Oak Creek’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Oak Creek’s government
How much does Oak Creek spend per resident?
About $1,346 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,282 was more than 62% of 21 Wisconsin cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Oak Creek?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,839 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.76% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see oakcreekwi.org.
Who runs Oak Creek’s government?
See oakcreekwi.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Oak Creek yet.
How did Oak Creek vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 51.1%, Kamala D Harris 46.3% (21,720 votes, official results). Milwaukee County: Harris 68.2%, Trump 29.7%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Oak Creek?
285 full-time and 73 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.2M (about $25.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Oak Creek in the state legislature?
State Senate District 7 (Chris Larson) and Assembly District 21 (Jessie Rodriguez). The Assembly district also covers parts of two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Oak Creek’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 →