Photo: myself · CC BY-SA 2.5How is Wautoma run?
Wautoma’s city government spent $2.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,230 per resident. Water and other utilities ($424,000) and the airport ($75,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Wautoma is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,230 per resident a year, or $3.37 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,230 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Wautoma’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,230 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 375 Wisconsin cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,105, and the middle half spent $864–$1,431. Wautoma spent more than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($930,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Wautoma itself left out).
No trend yet
Wautoma reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, up from 13 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $1,905 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.45% 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 Wautoma’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Wautoma’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wautoma →
Who’s in charge in Wautoma
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Wautoma’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofwautoma.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 124 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (2,114).
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.
Wautoma Area School District
Wautoma’s K–12 school district, shared with Dakota, Lohrville, Redgranite, Marion, Wautoma and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,568 per pupil, $7,925 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 Wautoma voted in 2024
Official results for Wautoma’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican58.8%548 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat40.3%376 votesOthers: 0.9% (8 votes).
Most votes in Wautoma: Donald J Trump
Waushara County: Trump 67.0%, Harris 31.8% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Wautoma’s 1,300 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Wautoma: Eric Hovde
Waushara County: Hovde 64.9%, Baldwin 32.6% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Glenn Grothman
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Wautoma, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wautoma | 58.8% | 40.3% | 0.9% | 932 |
| Waushara County | 67.0% | 31.8% | 1.2% | 14,363 |
| 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 Wautoma.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofwautoma.com ↗
- 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 Wautoma compares with the towns next door
Wautoma spent $1,230 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dakota | $436 | $2,049 |
| Wautoma | $1,230 | $1,905 |
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 Wautoma’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Wautoma’s government
How much does Wautoma spend per resident?
About $1,230 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 $1,230 was more than 62% of 375 Wisconsin cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Wautoma?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,905 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.45% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofwautoma.com.
Who runs Wautoma’s government?
See cityofwautoma.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wautoma yet.
How did Wautoma vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 58.8%, Kamala D Harris 40.3% (932 votes, official results). Waushara County: Trump 67.0%, Harris 31.8%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Wautoma?
17 full-time and 18 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $105,807 (about $1.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Wautoma in the state legislature?
State Senate District 19 (Rachael Cabral-Guevara) and Assembly District 57 (Kevin Petersen). The Assembly district also covers 48 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wautoma’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 →