Roscius S. and Lydia R. Freeman House · Photo: AlexiusHoratius · CC BY-SA 3.0How is River Falls run?
River Falls’ city government spent $25.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,550 per resident. Water and other utilities ($17.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how River Falls is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,550 per resident a year, or $4.25 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 16%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,103 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
River Falls’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,103 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 $949–$1,409. River Falls spent less than 54% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.5 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; River Falls itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 43% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years River Falls 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: $1,103 · 2024: $1,550.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,638 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.42% 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 River Falls’ 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 River Falls’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in River Falls →
Who’s in charge in River Falls
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
River Falls’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on rfcity.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 152 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (16,609).
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.
River Falls School District
River Falls’ K–12 school district, shared with River Falls, Kinnickinnic, Troy, Clifton, Martell. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,111 per pupil, $7,993 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 River Falls voted in 2024
Official results for River Falls’ own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat52.8%4,817 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican44.5%4,058 votesOthers: 2.7% (250 votes).
Most votes in River Falls: Kamala D Harris
Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of River Falls’ 13,676 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in River Falls: Tammy Baldwin
Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
U.S. House, 2024: 2 districts cover River Falls, so your street decides which race was yours. All 2 districts’ results →
President, 2024: River Falls, the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Falls | 52.8% | 44.5% | 2.7% | 9,125 |
| Wisconsin | 48.7% | 49.6% | 1.7% | 3,422,918 |
River Falls is two counties, so there is no single county to set beside it; its result is theirs combined.
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 River Falls.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: rfcity.org ↗
- 2Wisconsin AssemblyState representatives
- 3Wisconsin SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Wisconsin
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How River Falls compares with the towns next door
River Falls spent $1,103 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kinnickinnic | $272 | $4,654 |
| Troy | $293 | $6,020 |
| River Falls | $1,103 | $4,638 |
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 River Falls’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about River Falls’ government
How much does River Falls spend per resident?
About $1,550 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 $1,103 was less than 54% of 59 Wisconsin cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in River Falls?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,638 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.42% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see rfcity.org.
Who runs River Falls’ government?
See rfcity.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for River Falls yet.
How did River Falls vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 52.8%, Donald J Trump 44.5% (9,125 votes, official results). Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for River Falls?
109 full-time and 72 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $727,063 (about $8.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents River Falls in the state legislature?
State Senate District 10 (Rob Stafsholt) and Assembly District 30 (Shannon Zimmerman). The Assembly district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about River Falls’ 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 →