Photo: Gnome70 · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Whitefish Bay run?
Whitefish Bay’s village government spent $14.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,040 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Whitefish Bay is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $1,040 per resident a year, or $2.85 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,040 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Whitefish Bay’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,040 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 59 Wisconsin cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,166, and the middle half spent $949–$1,409. Whitefish Bay spent less than 63% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.7 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Whitefish Bay itself left out).
No trend yet
Whitefish Bay reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, up from 55 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $9,156 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.72% 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 Whitefish Bay’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 Whitefish Bay’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Whitefish Bay →
Who’s in charge in Whitefish Bay
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 246 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 2022 finance file (13,770).
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.
Whitefish Bay School District
Whitefish Bay’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,030 per pupil, $8,037 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 Whitefish Bay voted in 2024
Official results for Whitefish Bay’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat70.7%6,976 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican27.6%2,721 votesOthers: 1.8% (174 votes).
Most votes in Whitefish Bay: Kamala D Harris
Milwaukee County: Harris 68.2%, Trump 29.7% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
Most votes in Whitefish Bay: 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: Whitefish Bay, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitefish Bay | 70.7% | 27.6% | 1.8% | 9,871 |
| 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
Every level of government that speaks for Whitefish Bay.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Whitefish Bay compares with the towns next door
Whitefish Bay spent $1,040 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,295 to $1,768. 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 Whitefish Bay’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Whitefish Bay’s government
How much does Whitefish Bay spend per resident?
About $1,040 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 $1,040 was less than 63% of 59 Wisconsin cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Whitefish Bay?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $9,156 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.72% 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 Whitefish Bay’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Whitefish Bay yet.
How did Whitefish Bay vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 70.7%, Donald J Trump 27.6% (9,871 votes, official results). Milwaukee County: Harris 68.2%, Trump 29.7%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Whitefish Bay?
56 full-time and 31 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $560,597 (about $6.7M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Whitefish Bay in the state legislature?
State Senate District 8 (Jodi Habush Sinykin) and Assembly District 23 (Deb Andraca). The Assembly district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Whitefish Bay’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 →