A. D. German Wholesale Company and Warehouse, Additional Documentation · Photo: Lowell Boileau · CC BY-SA 3.0Richland Center spent more per resident in 2022 than 77% of similar cities
Richland Center’s city government spent $8.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,658 per resident. Water and other utilities ($11.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Richland Center is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,447 per resident in 2022: more than 77% of them
Richland Center’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,447 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. Richland Center spent more than 77% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.7 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; Richland Center itself left out).
About $1,658 per resident a year, or $4.54 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 37%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 15% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Richland Center 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: $1,447 · 2024: $1,658.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,627 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.66% 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 Richland Center’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 Richland Center’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Richland Center →
Who’s in charge in Richland Center
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 150 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (4,958).
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.
Richland School District
Richland Center’s K–12 school district, shared with Boaz, Dayton, Marshall, Rockbridge, Akan and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $19,011 per pupil, $9,312 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 Richland Center voted in 2024
Official results for Richland Center’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican49.5%1,205 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat49.0%1,192 votesOthers: 1.5% (36 votes).
Most votes in Richland Center: Donald J Trump
Richland County: Trump 55.9%, Harris 42.7% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Richland Center’s 4,018 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Richland Center: Tammy Baldwin
Richland County: Hovde 53.2%, Baldwin 44.5% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Derrick Van Orden
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Richland Center, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richland Center | 49.5% | 49.0% | 1.5% | 2,433 |
| Richland County | 55.9% | 42.7% | 1.4% | 9,323 |
| 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 Richland Center.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Richland Center compares with the towns next door
Richland Center spent $1,447 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Richland | $305 | $3,371 |
| Richland Center | $1,447 | $2,627 |
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 Richland Center’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Richland Center’s government
How much does Richland Center spend per resident?
About $1,658 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 $1,447 was more than 77% of 134 Wisconsin cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Richland Center?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,627 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.66% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Richland Center’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Richland Center yet.
How did Richland Center vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 49.5%, Kamala D Harris 49.0% (2,433 votes, official results). Richland County: Trump 55.9%, Harris 42.7%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Richland Center?
33 full-time and 23 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $201,050 (about $2.4M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Richland Center in the state legislature?
State Senate District 14 (Sarah Keyeski) and Assembly District 41 (Tony Kurtz). The Assembly district also covers 54 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Richland Center’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 →