Photo: Mjrichter at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0West Bend spent less per resident in 2022 than 95% of similar cities
West Bend’s city government spent $35.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,113 per resident. Water and other utilities ($6.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how West Bend is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,011 per resident in 2022: less than 95% of them
West Bend’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,011 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 $1,137–$1,533. West Bend spent less than 95% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($5.9 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; West Bend itself left out).
About $1,113 per resident a year, or $3.05 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 11% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years West Bend 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: $1,011 · 2023: $1,030 · 2024: $1,113.
full-time in March 2025, up from 199 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 $3,481 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.32% 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 West Bend’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 West Bend’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in West Bend →
Who’s in charge in West Bend
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
West Bend’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on westbendwi.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 139 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 (31,604).
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.
West Bend School District
West Bend’s K–12 school district, shared with Trenton, Newburg, Jackson, West Bend, Jackson and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,748 per pupil, $9,400 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 West Bend voted in 2024
Official results for West Bend’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican61.9%11,629 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat36.5%6,859 votesOthers: 1.5% (284 votes).
Most votes in West Bend: Donald J Trump
Washington County: Trump 67.4%, Harris 31.2% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of West Bend’s 24,772 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in West Bend: Eric Hovde
Washington County: Hovde 67.4%, Baldwin 30.9% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Scott Fitzgerald
Whole-district result
President, 2024: West Bend, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Bend | 61.9% | 36.5% | 1.5% | 18,772 |
| Washington County | 67.4% | 31.2% | 1.4% | 91,407 |
| 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 West Bend.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: westbendwi.gov ↗
- 2Wisconsin AssemblyWest Bend is split between 2 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 West Bend compares with the towns next door
West Bend spent $1,011 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.
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 West Bend’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about West Bend’s government
How much does West Bend spend per resident?
About $1,113 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 $1,011 was less than 95% of 21 Wisconsin cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in West Bend?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,481 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.32% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see westbendwi.gov.
Who runs West Bend’s government?
See westbendwi.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for West Bend yet.
How did West Bend vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 61.9%, Kamala D Harris 36.5% (18,772 votes, official results). Washington County: Trump 67.4%, Harris 31.2%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for West Bend?
227 full-time and 97 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.7M (about $20.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents West Bend in the state legislature?
West Bend is split among 2 Assembly districts, so your address decides. The Wisconsin Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 20 (Dan Feyen). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about West Bend’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 →