WELCOME
Hello and welcome to our website. I have chosen the word “our” because I have created this site as a resource for Wheaton residents and visitors. Your interaction and participation is what will help this site stay relevant and useful. My goal is to highlight the extraordinary people, the boundless destinations, and the distinctive personality of our fantastic City of Wheaton, Illinois.
Explore this website for resources you can use, facts-based local news, events to enjoy throughout Wheaton, photos from local events, and much more.
WHEATON’S JOURNEY
If we take a moment to step back from our busy lives and reflect, it is clear: We are all truly fortunate to live in and/or enjoy visiting Wheaton. Others seem to agree, as it was recently ranked among the top 3% of Best Small Cities in America.*
Given these rankings, it is no surprise that the 2020 Census revealed Wheaton had grown since the last Census. The City of Wheaton is home to 53,932 residents—the third-largest city in DuPage County. That is quite a leap forward from its humble beginnings in 1859.
Back then, Erastus Gary, Jesse Wheaton, and his brother, Warren, realized how important infrastructure was to a community. Early on, they donated land to the railroad company, which helped lay the foundation of Wheaton’s City Center. That tradition and foresight carry on today.
PRIORITIES
The 2026 budget maintains the City’s high level of essential municipal services, such as police protection, fire protection, public works, safe drinking water, and sewer transportation. Since 2021, the City had been able to fund several infrastructure projects with $11.0 million in grants, including $4.9 million from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and $3.5 million from Rebuild Illinois.
The top five strategic priorities for the 2026 City of Wheaton budget are: Financial Stability, Enhanced Infrastructure, Responsive and Efficient Services, Community Safety; and Environmental Stability. Wheaton will invest 29.4% of the budget—$45 million—in capital improvements. This will facilitate the continued dedication to essential infrastructure that Wheaton’s founders established more than a century ago.
Currently, infrastructure projects include completing the 2026 Road, Sewer, and Water Rehabilitation Program ($3.9 million); finishing the 2026 New Sidewalk Program ($2.0 million) and Sidewalk Replacement Program ($0.3 million); Complete the Water Main Replacement Program ($1.9 million) and Lead Service Line Replacement Program ($0.5 million); and more.
Wheaton is also enhancing the responsiveness of services by creating an online system for customers to submit service requests related to property maintenance. In addition, the City will prepare a School Traffic Analysis Report for four elementary schools and conduct a Traffic Calming Study for at least one location.
As far as the Environmental Stability initiative, Wheaton plans to replace high pressure sodium streetlight fixtures with energy-efficient LED fixtures as part of a multi-year replacement project. In addition, Wheaton will develop strategies to reduce non-revenue water to comply with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Lake Michigan water allocation requirement.
The City continues to be well-positioned to withstand economic downturns because of its strong economy, financial policies and budget performance and flexibility. In 2026, the City of Wheaton continues to earn Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings ‘AAA’ credit rating—the top possible rating. Wheaton is one of only 19 communities in Illinois and approximately 400 in the U.S. to this rating.
A dedication to structural improvements and amenities, combined with a sense of public safety, fiscal responsibility, and our caring residents who are ready and willing to help those in need—this is the City of Wheaton. This is home.
RESULTS
In 2025, Wheaton conducted the City of Wheaton Satisfaction Survey. The intention was to better understand how the City is doing, and the results were meant to help guide future decisions. The responses about Wheaton were very positive. Satisfaction levels for Wheaton rated higher than the U.S. average in all 46 areas assessed. Residents rated the quality of services provided by the City at 95.3%, compared to the national average of 49.0%. More than 70% of respondents stated they are “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the value received for City tax dollars and fees.
Satisfaction levels in each of the following areas have increased by more than 20% and align with objectives in the City’s Strategic Plan:
- Effectiveness of the City’s stormwater runoff/management system (+27.3%)
- Maintenance of City streets and sidewalks (+27.0%)
- Police community engagement and safety programs (+21.2%)
- Efforts to use social media/technology to inform (+34.4%)
Knowing that Wheaton residents value and appreciate the level and types of services offered has helped the City and Mayor Suess to set priorities through the budget, shown above.
ENGAGE
Please join me on this journey. I invite you to be engaged—contact us with feedback and ideas to help shape this community resource. Please use the Contact Form to send us your ideas for news and events in Wheaton, topics to explore, people to thank, and information readers would find helpful. We’d also love to highlight your photos from Wheaton events. Share a few through our Contact Form.
Don’t be a stranger! We’re all neighbors, in Wheaton.
Best regards,
Mayor Phil Suess
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