How is Gustavus run?
Gustavus’ city government spent $522,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $1,173 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Gustavus didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Gustavus is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,173 per resident a year, or $3.21 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Gustavus didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Gustavus yet
Every year of Gustavus’ figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $199 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.06% of the home’s value, vs 1.11% across Alaska.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Gustavus’ 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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Gustavus’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Gustavus →
Who’s in charge in Gustavus
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Gustavus’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cms.gustavus-ak.gov/government ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 445 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (445).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Chatham School District
Gustavus’ K–12 school district, shared with Angoon, Tenakee Springs. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $45,307 per pupil, $27,853 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.
Alaska districts overall: 24% local, 55% state, 21% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Gustavus.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cms.gustavus-ak.gov/government ↗
- 2Alaska HouseState representatives
- 3Alaska SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Alaska
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Gustavus’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Gustavus’ government
How much does Gustavus spend per resident?
About $1,173 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Gustavus didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $902,000.
What is the property tax rate in Gustavus?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $199 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.06% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.11% across Alaska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cms.gustavus-ak.gov/government.
Who runs Gustavus’ government?
See cms.gustavus-ak.gov/government for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Gustavus yet.
How many people work for Gustavus?
1 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $30,414 (about $364,968 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Gustavus in the state legislature?
State Senate District B (Jesse Kiehl) and State House District 3 (Andi Story). The House district also covers parts of 1 neighboring town. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Gustavus’ 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 (for Gustavus, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →