Dr. Fisk Holbrook Day House · Photo: Freekee at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Wauwatosa spent more per resident in 2022 than 76% of similar cities
Wauwatosa’s city government spent $83.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,769 per resident. Water and other utilities ($8.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Wauwatosa is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,533 per resident in 2022: more than 76% of them
Wauwatosa’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,533 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. Wauwatosa spent more than 76% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($9.2 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; Wauwatosa itself left out).
About $1,769 per resident a year, or $4.85 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 13% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Wauwatosa 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: $1,533 · 2023: $1,620 · 2024: $1,769.
full-time in March 2025, up from 394 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $5,922 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.75% 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 Wauwatosa’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 Wauwatosa’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wauwatosa →
Who’s in charge in Wauwatosa
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Wauwatosa’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on wauwatosa.net ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 115 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (47,289).
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.
Wauwatosa School District
Wauwatosa’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,467 per pupil, $9,981 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 Wauwatosa voted in 2024
Official results for Wauwatosa’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat69.0%22,138 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican29.0%9,312 votesOthers: 2.0% (637 votes).
Most votes in Wauwatosa: Kamala D Harris
Milwaukee County: Harris 68.2%, Trump 29.7% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Wauwatosa’s 37,126 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Wauwatosa: Tammy Baldwin
Milwaukee County: Baldwin 68.9%, Hovde 28.8% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Gwen S Moore
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Wauwatosa, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wauwatosa | 69.0% | 29.0% | 2.0% | 32,087 |
| Milwaukee County | 68.2% | 29.7% | 2.1% | 464,107 |
| 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
Wauwatosa sends 4 members to the State Assembly alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: wauwatosa.net ↗
- 2Wisconsin AssemblyWauwatosa is split between 4 districts
- 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 Wauwatosa compares with the towns next door
Wauwatosa spent $1,533 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,768 to $1,787. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | $1,768 | $3,668 |
| Brookfield | $1,787 | $5,389 |
| Wauwatosa | $1,533 | $5,922 |
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 Wauwatosa’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Wauwatosa’s government
How much does Wauwatosa spend per resident?
About $1,769 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 $1,533 was more than 76% of 21 Wisconsin cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Wauwatosa?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,922 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.75% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see wauwatosa.net.
Who runs Wauwatosa’s government?
See wauwatosa.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wauwatosa yet.
How did Wauwatosa vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 69.0%, Donald J Trump 29.0% (32,087 votes, official results). Milwaukee County: Harris 68.2%, Trump 29.7%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Wauwatosa?
411 full-time and 59 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.3M (about $39.8M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Wauwatosa in the state legislature?
Wauwatosa is split among 4 Assembly districts and 3 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Wisconsin Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wauwatosa’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 →