George V. Siegner House · Photo: TheCatalyst31 · CC0How is Spooner run?
Spooner’s city government spent $3.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,196 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Spooner is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,196 per resident a year, or $3.28 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,196 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Spooner’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,196 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–$1,415. Spooner spent more than 52% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($681,000), 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Spooner itself left out).
No trend yet
Spooner reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $2,387 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.44% 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 Spooner’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 Spooner’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Spooner →
Who’s in charge in Spooner
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 111 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (2,553).
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.
Spooner Area School District
Spooner’s K–12 school district, shared with Casey, Chicog, Crystal, Evergreen, Gull Lake and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,122 per pupil, $9,018 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 Spooner voted in 2024
Official results for Spooner’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican57.8%715 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat40.5%502 votesOthers: 1.7% (21 votes).
Most votes in Spooner: Donald J Trump
Washburn County: Trump 63.4%, Harris 35.2% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Spooner’s 1,802 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Spooner: Eric Hovde
Washburn County: Hovde 61.8%, Baldwin 36.0% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Tom Tiffany
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Spooner, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spooner | 57.8% | 40.5% | 1.7% | 1,238 |
| Washburn County | 63.4% | 35.2% | 1.4% | 10,978 |
| 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 Spooner.
- 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 Spooner compares with the towns next door
Spooner spent $1,196 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Evergreen | $376 | $2,247 |
| Bashaw | $394 | $2,504 |
| Beaver Brook | $801 | $2,403 |
| Spooner | $1,196 | $2,387 |
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 Spooner’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Spooner’s government
How much does Spooner spend per resident?
About $1,196 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 $1,196 was more than 52% of 134 Wisconsin cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Spooner?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,387 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.44% 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 Spooner’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Spooner yet.
How did Spooner vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 57.8%, Kamala D Harris 40.5% (1,238 votes, official results). Washburn County: Trump 63.4%, Harris 35.2%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Spooner?
23 full-time and 26 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $149,444 (about $1.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Spooner in the state legislature?
State Senate District 25 (Romaine Quinn) and Assembly District 74 (Chanz Green). The Assembly district also covers 91 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Spooner’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 →