Wood County Courthouse · Photo: TheCatalyst31 · CC0Wisconsin Rapids spent more per resident in 2022 than 90% of similar cities
Wisconsin Rapids’ city government spent $28.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,540 per resident. Water and other utilities ($32.1 million) and the airport ($761,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Wisconsin Rapids is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
6 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Wisconsin Rapids’ own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov17Common CouncilTuesday · 1:00 pm · City Hall Council ChambersTest Common Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov17Common CouncilTuesday · 5:30 pm · City Hall Council ChambersTest Common Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec1Finance and Property CommitteeTuesday · 5:00 pm · City HallFinance and Property Committee MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec1Finance and Property CommitteeTuesday · 5:00 pm · City HallSpecial Finance and Property Committee MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec1Finance and Property CommitteeTuesday · 5:00 pm · City HallSpecial Finance and Property Committee MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec15Common CouncilTuesday · 1:00 pm · City Hall Council ChambersTest Common Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Nov3Finance and Property CommitteeTuesday · 6:00 pm · City HallFinance and Property Committee MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Nov3Finance and Property CommitteeTuesday · 6:00 pm · City HallFinance and Property Committee MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Nov3Finance and Property CommitteeTuesday · 5:00 pm · City HallFinance and Property Committee MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Nov3Finance and Property CommitteeTuesday · 5:00 pm · City HallSpecial Finance and Property Committee MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Nov3Finance and Property CommitteeTuesday · 5:00 pm · City HallSpecial Finance and Property Committee MeetingMeeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $1,540 per resident a year, or $4.22 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,567 per resident in 2022: more than 90% of them
Wisconsin Rapids’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,567 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 59 Wisconsin State cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,152, and the middle half spent $949–$1,366. Wisconsin Rapids spent more than 90% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($6.1 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 State cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Wisconsin Rapids itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 5% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Wisconsin Rapids 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: $1,567 · 2023: $1,475 · 2024: $1,540. Per resident it went from $1,567 to $1,540 (down 2%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 17,555 to 18,716.
full-time in March 2025, up from 176 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 $2,384 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.81% of the home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin State.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Wisconsin Rapids’ 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 Wisconsin Rapids’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wisconsin Rapids →
Who’s in charge in Wisconsin Rapids
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 103 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 (18,716).
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.
Wisconsin Rapids School District
Wisconsin Rapids’ K–12 school district, shared with Biron, Rudolph, Rudolph, Sigel, Vesper and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,119 per pupil, $8,656 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 State districts overall: 39% local, 50% state, 11% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Wisconsin Rapids voted in 2024
Official results for Wisconsin Rapids’ own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican52.8%4,840 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat45.6%4,180 votesOthers: 1.6% (143 votes).
Most votes in Wisconsin Rapids: Donald J Trump
Wood County: Trump 59.2%, Harris 39.3% · Wisconsin State: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Wisconsin Rapids’ 14,226 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin State: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Wisconsin Rapids: Eric Hovde
Wood County: Hovde 56.6%, Baldwin 41.0% · Wisconsin State: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Derrick Van Orden
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Wisconsin Rapids, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Rapids | 52.8% | 45.6% | 1.6% | 9,163 |
| Wood County | 59.2% | 39.3% | 1.5% | 42,216 |
| Wisconsin State | 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 Wisconsin Rapids.
- 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 Wisconsin Rapids compares with the towns next door
Wisconsin Rapids spent $1,567 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Seneca | $287 | $2,750 |
| Grand Rapids | $388 | $3,077 |
| Rudolph | $446 | $2,484 |
| Sigel | $544 | $2,424 |
| Port Edwards | $1,202 | $2,995 |
| Biron | $2,277 | $2,730 |
| Wisconsin Rapids | $1,567 | $2,384 |
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 Wisconsin Rapids’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Wisconsin Rapids’ government
How much does Wisconsin Rapids spend per resident?
About $1,540 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 $1,567 was more than 90% of 59 Wisconsin State cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Wisconsin Rapids?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,384 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.81% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin State. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Wisconsin Rapids’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wisconsin Rapids yet.
How did Wisconsin Rapids vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 52.8%, Kamala D Harris 45.6% (9,163 votes, official results). Wood County: Trump 59.2%, Harris 39.3%. Wisconsin State: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Wisconsin Rapids?
182 full-time and 51 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.3M (about $16.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Wisconsin Rapids in the state legislature?
State Senate District 24 (Patrick Testin) and Assembly District 72 (Scott Krug). The Assembly district also covers 30 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Wisconsin Rapids?
The next posted meeting is Common Council on Tuesday, November 17, at 1:00 pm in City Hall Council Chambers, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Wisconsin Rapids’ 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 →