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Bethel Alaska aerial viewPhoto: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown · Public domain
Town Hall · Bethel

How is Bethel run?

Bethel’s city government spent $13.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,186 per resident. Water and other utilities ($439,000) are counted separately.

Town website
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$13.7M
year to June 30, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$2,186
In 2022: $2,442, more than 63% of 76 similar cities
Long-term debt
$1.1M
end of FY2024, reported
City staff, 2025
91
full-time · 3 part-time · March payroll $641,485

What stands out about how Bethel is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

A shared school districtShares Lower Kuskokwim School District with 6+ other towns.Its own police and fire19 sworn officers and 9 full-time firefighters on the payroll.
The school district

Lower Kuskokwim School District

Bethel’s K–12 school district, shared with Chefornak, Eek, Goodnews Bay, Kwethluk, Mekoryuk and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Bethel →
$45,371
per pupil · AK $21,070
3,917
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $45,371 per pupil, $13,034 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 3%State 63%Federal 34%

Alaska districts overall: 24% local, 55% state, 21% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Your share of the 2024 budget

About $2,186 per resident a year, or $5.99 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 35%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 38%Fees & charges 27%Utility sales 19%Interest, fines & other 9%From the state 4%From the federal government 2%Other taxes & licenses 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $1.5 million; interest on debt $45,000; payments to other governments $185,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $17.1 million.
Compared with similar places

$2,442 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

Bethel’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,442 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 76 Alaska cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,907, and the middle half spent $1,022–$2,950. Bethel spent more than 63% of them.

Middle half of the group, $1,022–$2,950Median $1,907Bethel

Includes sewer and trash ($3.2 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 →

The group
76

Alaska cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bethel itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is down 16% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bethel reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$16.3 million
2024$13.7 million

Per resident: 2022: $2,442 · 2024: $2,186. Per resident it went from $2,442 to $2,186 (down 10%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 6,658 to 6,276.

City staff
91

full-time in March 2025, up from 88 in 2022.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Bethel

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See cityofbethel.org for Bethel’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Bethel yet.cityofbethel.org ↗
Agendas

Bethel’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofbethel.org ↗.

Who works for Bethel

One full-time city employee for every 69 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 (6,276).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Police23
Water & other utilities14
Administration & buildings12 + 3 pt
Sewer & trash13
Fire9
Roads & transportation9
Courts, inspections & corrections1
Parks & libraries1
Other9
91
full-time
3
part-time
$641,485
payroll for March 2025
$7.7M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$83,200
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
19
sworn police officers
9
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Bethel had 13.2 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 47 of the 76 Alaska cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 18.1: Bethel had fewer than 60% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

Who represents Bethel

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Bethel.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: cityofbethel.org ↗
  2. 2
    Alaska HouseState representatives
    Nellie Jimmie
  3. 3
    Alaska SenateState senator
    Lyman Hoffman
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Mike Dunleavy
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Nicholas J. Begich III
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Alaska
    Lisa MurkowskiDan Sullivan

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Bethel’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitecityofbethel.org ↗

Questions about Bethel’s government

How much does Bethel spend per resident?

About $2,186 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,442 was more than 63% of 76 Alaska cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.

Who runs Bethel’s government?

See cityofbethel.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bethel yet.

How many people work for Bethel?

91 full-time and 3 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $641,485 (about $7.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Bethel in the state legislature?

State Senate District S (Lyman Hoffman) and State House District 38 (Nellie Jimmie). The House district also covers 12 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Bethel’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →