Rock Falls spent less per resident in 2022 than 83% of similar towns
Rock Falls’ town government spent $417,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $657 per resident.
What stands out about how Rock Falls is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$336 per resident in 2022: less than 83% of them
Rock Falls’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($336 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 1113 Wisconsin towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $511, and the middle half spent $373–$727. Rock Falls spent less than 83% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($6,000), 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 towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Rock Falls itself left out).
About $657 per resident a year, or $1.80 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 56%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 105% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Rock 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: $336 · 2024: $657. Per resident it went from $336 to $657 (up 96%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 604 to 635.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,468 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.49% 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 Rock 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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Rock Falls’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Rock Falls →
Who’s in charge in Rock Falls
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 635 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 (635).
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.
Merrill Area School District
Rock Falls’ K–12 school district, shared with Corning, Harding, Merrill, Merrill, Pine River and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,948 per pupil, $7,545 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.
Tomahawk School District · $15,177 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Rock Falls voted in 2024
Official results for Rock Falls’ own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican67.2%313 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat30.9%144 votesOthers: 1.9% (9 votes).
Most votes in Rock Falls: Donald J Trump
Lincoln County: Trump 61.8%, Harris 36.6% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Rock Falls’ 745 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Rock Falls: Eric Hovde
Lincoln County: Hovde 59.2%, Baldwin 38.5% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Tom Tiffany
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Rock Falls, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Falls | 67.2% | 30.9% | 1.9% | 466 |
| Lincoln County | 61.8% | 36.6% | 1.6% | 17,209 |
| 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 Rock Falls.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal 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 Rock Falls compares with the towns next door
Rock Falls spent $336 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $179 to $682. 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 Rock Falls’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Rock Falls’ government
How much does Rock Falls spend per resident?
About $657 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 $336 was less than 83% of 1113 Wisconsin towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Rock Falls?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,468 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.49% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Rock Falls’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Rock Falls yet.
How did Rock Falls vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 67.2%, Kamala D Harris 30.9% (466 votes, official results). Lincoln County: Trump 61.8%, Harris 36.6%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Rock Falls?
1 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $6,621 (about $79,452 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Rock Falls in the state legislature?
State Senate District 12 (Mary Felzkowski) and Assembly District 35 (Calvin Callahan). The Assembly district also covers 49 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Rock 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 →