Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Rio run?
Rio’s village government spent $1.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,113 per resident. Water and other utilities ($212,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Rio is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $1,113 per resident a year, or $3.05 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,113 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Rio’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,113 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 375 Wisconsin cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,105, and the middle half spent $864–$1,431. Rio spent more than 51% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($313,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Rio itself left out).
No trend yet
Rio reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, the same as 13 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $3,411 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.74% 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 Rio’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Rio’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Rio →
Who’s in charge in Rio
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Rio’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The village posts agendas and minutes on riowi.us ↗.
One full-time village employee for every 81 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,047).
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.
Rio Community School District
Rio’s K–12 school district, shared with Doylestown, Otsego, Lowville, Springvale. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $23,723 per pupil, $10,465 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 Rio voted in 2024
Official results for Rio’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican49.5%321 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat49.5%321 votesOthers: 0.9% (6 votes).
Most votes in Rio: Donald J Trump
Columbia County: Trump 51.5%, Harris 46.9% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Rio’s 926 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Rio: Tammy Baldwin
Columbia County: Hovde 49.4%, Baldwin 48.4% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Glenn Grothman
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Rio, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio | 49.5% | 49.5% | 0.9% | 648 |
| Columbia County | 51.5% | 46.9% | 1.5% | 34,914 |
| 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 Rio.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: riowi.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 Rio compares with the towns next door
Rio spent $1,113 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wyocena | $234 | $3,554 |
| Lowville | $405 | $3,810 |
| Otsego | $615 | $4,514 |
| Springvale | $779 | $4,000 |
| Rio | $1,113 | $3,411 |
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 Rio’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Rio’s government
How much does Rio spend per resident?
About $1,113 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 $1,113 was more than 51% of 375 Wisconsin cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Rio?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,411 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.74% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see riowi.us.
Who runs Rio’s government?
See riowi.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Rio yet.
How did Rio vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 49.5%, Kamala D Harris 49.5% (648 votes, official results). Columbia County: Trump 51.5%, Harris 46.9%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Rio?
13 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $70,603 (about $847,236 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Rio in the state legislature?
State Senate District 14 (Sarah Keyeski) and Assembly District 42 (Maureen McCarville). The Assembly district also covers 22 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Rio’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 →