Frank Eugene Nichols House · Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0Onalaska spent less per resident in 2022 than 83% of similar cities
Onalaska’s city government spent $17.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $953 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Onalaska is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$878 per resident in 2022: less than 83% of them
Onalaska’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($878 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 59 Wisconsin cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,166, and the middle half spent $962–$1,409. Onalaska spent less than 83% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.1 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Onalaska itself left out).
About $953 per resident a year, or $2.61 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 24%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 7% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Onalaska 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: $878 · 2023: $953.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,326 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.50% 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 Onalaska’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 Onalaska’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Onalaska →
Who’s in charge in Onalaska
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Onalaska’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofonalaska.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 185 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 (18,824).
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.
Onalaska School District
Onalaska’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,001 per pupil, $8,966 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.
Holmen School District · $14,640 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Onalaska voted in 2024
Official results for Onalaska’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat52.8%6,224 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican45.6%5,376 votesOthers: 1.5% (179 votes).
Most votes in Onalaska: Kamala D Harris
La Crosse County: Harris 54.0%, Trump 44.6% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Onalaska’s 15,553 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Onalaska: Tammy Baldwin
La Crosse County: Baldwin 54.8%, Hovde 42.9% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Derrick Van Orden
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Onalaska, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onalaska | 52.8% | 45.6% | 1.5% | 11,779 |
| La Crosse County | 54.0% | 44.6% | 1.4% | 72,261 |
| Wisconsin | 48.7% | 49.6% | 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 Onalaska.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofonalaska.com ↗
- 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 Onalaska compares with the towns next door
Onalaska spent $878 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $306 to $1,408. 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 Onalaska’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Onalaska’s government
How much does Onalaska spend per resident?
About $953 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 $878 was less than 83% of 59 Wisconsin cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Onalaska?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,326 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.50% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofonalaska.com.
Who runs Onalaska’s government?
See cityofonalaska.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Onalaska yet.
How did Onalaska vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 52.8%, Donald J Trump 45.6% (11,779 votes, official results). La Crosse County: Harris 54.0%, Trump 44.6%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Onalaska?
102 full-time and 263 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $537,597 (about $6.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Onalaska in the state legislature?
State Senate District 32 (Brad Pfaff) and Assembly District 94 (Steve Doyle). The Assembly district also covers 13 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Onalaska’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 →