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Tower AvenuePhoto: Nfarmakes · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Superior

Superior spent more per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities

Superior’s city government spent $73.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,782 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.2 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Wisconsin.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$73.6M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$2,782
In 2022: $2,783, more than 100% of 21 similar cities
Long-term debt
$47.7M
end of 2024, reported
City staff, 2025
263
full-time · 35 part-time · March payroll $1.8M
Typical tax bill
$2,645
1.47% of home value · WI 1.42%

What stands out about how Superior is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends more than most similar citiesIn 2022: $2,783 per resident, more than 100% of 21 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer21% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2024).A shared school districtShares Superior School District with 6+ other towns.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Superior’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

  • Oct20
    Common CouncilTuesday · 6:30 pm · Government Center, Board Room 201, 1316 N 14th StreetCommon Council MeetingMeeting page ↗
  • Oct14
    Library BoardWednesday · 5:00 pm · Superior Public Library, Meeting Room, 1530 Tower Ave.Library Board MeetingMeeting page ↗
  • Oct6
    Common CouncilTuesday · 6:30 pm · Government Center, Board Room 201, 1316 N 14th StreetCommon Council MeetingMeeting page ↗
  • Sep15
    Common CouncilTuesday · 6:15 pm · Government Center, Board Room 201, 1316 N 14th StreetCommon Council MeetingMeeting page ↗
  • Sep9
    Library BoardWednesday · 5:00 pm · Superior Public Library, Meeting Room, 1530 Tower Ave.Library Board MeetingMeeting page ↗
Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $2,782 per resident a year, or $7.62 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 19%.

Where the money comes from
From the state 34%Fees & charges 28%Property taxes 19%Interest, fines & other 11%From the federal government 4%Sales taxes 2%Other taxes & licenses 1%From other local governments <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $7.1 million; interest on debt $1.1 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $83.1 million.
About “Other”.32% of Superior’s day-to-day spending ($23.4 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places

$2,783 per resident in 2022: more than 100% of them

Superior’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,783 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 $1,227, and the middle half spent $1,125–$1,446. Superior spent more than 100% of them.

Middle half of the group, $1,125–$1,446Median $1,227Superior

Includes sewer and trash ($12.6 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 →

The group
21

Wisconsin cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Superior itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending has held about steady since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Superior reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$72.9 million
2023$63.3 million
2024$73.6 million

Per resident: 2022: $2,783 · 2023: $2,383 · 2024: $2,782.

City staff
263

full-time in March 2025, up from 260 in 2022.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $2,645 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.47% of the home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Wisconsin$3,792
Duluth$2,885
Superior$2,645
Parkland$2,336
$2,645
typical bill a year
1.47%
effective rate
$180,400
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Superior’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 Superior’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Superior →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Superior

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See ci.superior.wi.us for Superior’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Superior yet.ci.superior.wi.us ↗
Who works for Superior

One full-time city employee for every 101 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 (26,459).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Police60 + 5 pt
Sewer & trash50 + 1 pt
Fire43
Roads & transportation38
Administration & buildings30 + 10 pt
Parks & libraries25 + 7 pt
Housing & development4
Courts, inspections & corrections2
Other11 + 12 pt
263
full-time
35
part-time
$1.8M
payroll for March 2025
$21.2M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$79,500
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
55
sworn police officers
41
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Superior had 9.9 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 18 of the 21 Wisconsin cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 7.1: Superior had more than 94% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Superior School District

Superior’s K–12 school district, shared with Oakland, Oliver, Parkland, Summit, Superior and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Superior →
$15,521
per pupil · WI $16,459
4,023
students
$65.5 million
long-term debt

Of the $15,521 per pupil, $8,467 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 28%State 61%Federal 12%

Wisconsin districts overall: 39% local, 50% state, 11% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

How Superior voted in 2024

Official results for Superior’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.

President13,527 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat58.7%7,943 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican39.4%5,329 votes

Others: 1.9% (255 votes).

Most votes in Superior: Kamala D Harris

Douglas County: Harris 51.8%, Trump 46.5% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%

Turnout
63%

of Superior’s 21,360 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.

Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).

U.S. Senate13,350 votes
Tammy BaldwinDemocrat59.6%
Eric HovdeRepublican37.5%
Others2.9%

Most votes in Superior: Tammy Baldwin

Douglas County: Baldwin 52.7%, Hovde 44.6% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%

U.S. House · Wisconsin’s 7th District430,384 votes
Tom TiffanyRepublican63.6%
Kyle KilbournDemocrat36.4%
Others0.1%

Most votes in the district: Tom Tiffany

Whole-district result

President, 2024: Superior, its county and the state

HarrisTrumpOthersVotes
Superior58.7%39.4%1.9%13,527
Douglas County51.8%46.5%1.7%25,234
Wisconsin48.7%49.6%1.7%3,422,918
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Superior

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Superior.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: ci.superior.wi.us ↗
  2. 2
    Wisconsin AssemblyState representatives
    Angela Stroud
  3. 3
    Wisconsin SenateState senator
    Romaine Quinn
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Tony Evers
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Thomas P. Tiffany
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Wisconsin
    Ron JohnsonTammy Baldwin

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Superior compares with the towns next door

Superior spent $2,783 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.

Parkland: $349 per resident (2022)ParklandSuperior
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Parkland$349$2,336
Superior$2,783$2,645

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 Superior’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websiteci.superior.wi.us ↗

Questions about Superior’s government

How much does Superior spend per resident?

About $2,782 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 $2,783 was more than 100% of 21 Wisconsin cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Superior?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,645 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.47% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.superior.wi.us.

Who runs Superior’s government?

See ci.superior.wi.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Superior yet.

How did Superior vote in 2024?

For president, Kamala D Harris 58.7%, Donald J Trump 39.4% (13,527 votes, official results). Douglas County: Harris 51.8%, Trump 46.5%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.

How many people work for Superior?

263 full-time and 35 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.8M (about $21.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Superior in the state legislature?

State Senate District 25 (Romaine Quinn) and Assembly District 73 (Angela Stroud). The Assembly district also covers 34 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Superior?

The next posted meeting is Common Council on Tuesday, November 3, at 6:30 pm in Government Center, Board Room 201, 1316 N 14th Street, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Superior’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →