Photo: Awkwafaba · CC BY-SA 3.0Vernon spent less per resident in 2022 than 98% of similar cities
Vernon’s village government spent $3.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $440 per resident.
What stands out about how Vernon is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
$440 per resident in 2022: less than 98% of them
Vernon’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($440 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 $1,178, and the middle half spent $990–$1,415. Vernon spent less than 98% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($443,000), 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; Vernon itself left out).
About $440 per resident a year, or $1.21 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Vernon reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $3,899 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.90% 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 Vernon’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 Vernon’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Vernon →
Who’s in charge in Vernon
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 959 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 (7,670).
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.
Waterford Union High School District
Vernon’s high school district, shared with Burlington, Burlington, Norway, Rochester, Waterford and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $23,692 per pupil, $11,664 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.
Mukwonago School District · $12,638 per pupil
Norris School District · $73,405 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Vernon compares with the towns next door
Vernon spent $440 per resident in 2022; the 7 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $299 to $1,238. 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 Vernon’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Vernon’s government
How much does Vernon spend per resident?
About $440 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 $440 was less than 98% of 134 Wisconsin cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Vernon?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,899 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.90% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the village’s assessor.
Who runs Vernon’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Vernon yet.
How many people work for Vernon?
8 full-time and 74 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $70,682 (about $848,184 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Vernon’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 →