Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railroad Passsenger Station · Photo: TheCatalyst31 · CC0Rice Lake spent more per resident in 2022 than 90% of similar cities
Rice Lake’s city government spent $16.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,839 per resident. Water and other utilities ($15.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Rice Lake is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,626 per resident in 2022: more than 90% of them
Rice Lake’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,626 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. Rice Lake spent more than 90% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.8 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Rice Lake itself left out).
About $1,839 per resident a year, or $5.04 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 20% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Rice Lake 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: $1,626 · 2023: $1,672 · 2024: $1,839. Per resident it went from $1,626 to $1,839 (up 13%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 8,498 to 9,020.
full-time in March 2025, down from 81 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 $3,200 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.65% 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 Rice Lake’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 Rice Lake’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Rice Lake →
Who’s in charge in Rice Lake
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Rice Lake’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.rice-lake.wi.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 124 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 (9,020).
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.
Rice Lake Area School District
Rice Lake’s K–12 school district, shared with Haugen, Oak Grove, Rice Lake, Doyle, Long Lake and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,567 per pupil, $9,275 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.
Cameron School District · $12,703 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Rice Lake voted in 2024
Official results for Rice Lake’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican55.8%2,547 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat42.2%1,926 votesOthers: 1.9% (88 votes).
Most votes in Rice Lake: Donald J Trump
Barron County: Trump 62.4%, Harris 33.4% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Rice Lake’s 6,859 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Rice Lake: Eric Hovde
Barron County: Hovde 62.0%, Baldwin 35.2% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Tom Tiffany
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Rice Lake, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rice Lake | 55.8% | 42.2% | 1.9% | 4,561 |
| Barron County | 62.4% | 33.4% | 4.3% | 26,809 |
| 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 Rice Lake.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.rice-lake.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 Rice Lake compares with the towns next door
Rice Lake spent $1,626 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Stanley | $214 | $2,914 |
| Rice Lake | $1,626 | $3,200 |
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 Rice Lake’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Rice Lake’s government
How much does Rice Lake spend per resident?
About $1,839 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 $1,626 was more than 90% of 134 Wisconsin cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Rice Lake?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,200 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.65% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.rice-lake.wi.us.
Who runs Rice Lake’s government?
See ci.rice-lake.wi.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Rice Lake yet.
How did Rice Lake vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 55.8%, Kamala D Harris 42.2% (4,561 votes, official results). Barron County: Trump 62.4%, Harris 33.4%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Rice Lake?
73 full-time and 50 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $617,018 (about $7.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Rice Lake in the state legislature?
State Senate District 23 (Jesse James) and Assembly District 67 (Dave Armstrong). The Assembly district also covers 51 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Rice Lake’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 →