Photo: Greg Tally - User: (WT-shared) WineCountryInn at wts wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 3.0Sturgeon Bay spent more per resident in 2022 than 69% of similar cities
Sturgeon Bay’s city government spent $14.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,443 per resident. Water and other utilities ($18.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Sturgeon Bay is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,381 per resident in 2022: more than 69% of them
Sturgeon Bay’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,381 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. Sturgeon Bay spent more than 69% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.8 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; Sturgeon Bay itself left out).
About $1,443 per resident a year, or $3.95 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 13% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Sturgeon Bay 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: $1,381 · 2024: $1,443. Per resident it went from $1,381 to $1,443 (up 4%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 8,985 to 9,740.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,961 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.68% 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 Sturgeon Bay’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 Sturgeon Bay’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sturgeon Bay →
Who’s in charge in Sturgeon Bay
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Sturgeon Bay’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on sturgeonbaywi.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 148 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 (9,740).
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.
Sturgeon Bay School District
Sturgeon Bay’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,464 per pupil, $10,419 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.
Southern Door County School District · $16,154 per pupil
Sevastopol School District · $19,316 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Sturgeon Bay voted in 2024
Official results for Sturgeon Bay’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat55.6%3,181 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican43.1%2,469 votesOthers: 1.3% (72 votes).
Most votes in Sturgeon Bay: Kamala D Harris
Door County: Harris 50.4%, Trump 48.2% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Sturgeon Bay’s 8,065 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Sturgeon Bay: Tammy Baldwin
Door County: Baldwin 50.5%, Hovde 47.8% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Tony Wied
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Sturgeon Bay, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sturgeon Bay | 55.6% | 43.1% | 1.3% | 5,722 |
| Door County | 50.4% | 48.2% | 1.3% | 20,944 |
| Wisconsin | 48.7% | 49.6% | 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 Sturgeon Bay.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: sturgeonbaywi.org ↗
- 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 Sturgeon Bay compares with the towns next door
Sturgeon Bay spent $1,381 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sevastopol | $452 | $3,535 |
| Nasewaupee | $581 | $3,312 |
| Sturgeon Bay | $1,381 | $3,961 |
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 Sturgeon Bay’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Sturgeon Bay’s government
How much does Sturgeon Bay spend per resident?
About $1,443 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 $1,381 was more than 69% of 134 Wisconsin cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Sturgeon Bay?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,961 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.68% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see sturgeonbaywi.org.
Who runs Sturgeon Bay’s government?
See sturgeonbaywi.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sturgeon Bay yet.
How did Sturgeon Bay vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 55.6%, Donald J Trump 43.1% (5,722 votes, official results). Door County: Harris 50.4%, Trump 48.2%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Sturgeon Bay?
66 full-time and 34 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $448,371 (about $5.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Sturgeon Bay in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (André Jacque) and Assembly District 1 (Joel Kitchens). The Assembly district also covers 37 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Sturgeon Bay’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 →