Fuhremann Canning Company Factory · Photo: Corey Coyle · CC BY 3.0Sun Prairie spent less per resident in 2022 than 71% of similar cities
Sun Prairie’s city government spent $50.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,373 per resident. Water and other utilities ($36 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Sun Prairie is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,137 per resident in 2022: less than 71% of them
Sun Prairie’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,137 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 21 Wisconsin cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,244, and the middle half spent $1,125–$1,533. Sun Prairie spent less than 71% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($5.8 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 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Sun Prairie itself left out).
About $1,373 per resident a year, or $3.76 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 26% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Sun Prairie 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: $1,137 · 2023: $1,226 · 2024: $1,373. Per resident it went from $1,137 to $1,373 (up 21%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 35,119 to 36,653.
full-time in March 2025, up from 270 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $6,458 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.77% 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 Sun Prairie’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 Sun Prairie’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sun Prairie →
Who’s in charge in Sun Prairie
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 132 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (36,653).
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.
Sun Prairie Area School District
Sun Prairie’s K–12 school district, shared with Bristol, Sun Prairie, Burke. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,847 per pupil, $8,875 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 Sun Prairie voted in 2024
Official results for Sun Prairie’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat70.3%15,581 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican28.0%6,198 votesOthers: 1.7% (383 votes).
Most votes in Sun Prairie: Kamala D Harris
Dane County: Harris 74.9%, Trump 23.4% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Sun Prairie’s 26,701 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Sun Prairie: Tammy Baldwin
Dane County: Baldwin 75.3%, Hovde 23.3% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Mark Pocan
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Sun Prairie, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Prairie | 70.3% | 28.0% | 1.7% | 22,162 |
| Dane County | 74.9% | 23.4% | 1.8% | 365,929 |
| 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 Sun Prairie.
- 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 Sun Prairie compares with the towns next door
Sun Prairie spent $1,137 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $402 to $1,738. 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 Sun Prairie’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Sun Prairie’s government
How much does Sun Prairie spend per resident?
About $1,373 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 $1,137 was less than 71% of 21 Wisconsin cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Sun Prairie?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $6,458 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.77% 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 Sun Prairie’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sun Prairie yet.
How did Sun Prairie vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 70.3%, Donald J Trump 28.0% (22,162 votes, official results). Dane County: Harris 74.9%, Trump 23.4%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Sun Prairie?
277 full-time and 169 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.2M (about $27.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Sun Prairie in the state legislature?
State Senate District 16 (Melissa Ratcliff) and Assembly District 48 (Andrew Hysell). The Assembly district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Sun Prairie’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 →