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Annotated aerial photograph of Hughes Airport (HUS)Photo: Federal Aviation Administration, Alaskan Region · Public domain
Town Hall · Hughes

Hughes spent more per resident in 2022 than 75% of similar cities

Hughes’ city government spent $224,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $2,765 per resident. Water and other utilities ($421,000) are counted separately.

Day-to-day spending, 2022
$224,000
year to June 30, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$2,765
In 2022: $2,765, more than 75% of 67 similar cities
Long-term debt
Not reported
end of FY2022, reported
City staff, 2025
1
full-time · 5 part-time · March payroll $17,539

What stands out about how Hughes is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

Spends more than most similar citiesIn 2022: $2,765 per resident, more than 75% of 67 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer69% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2022).A shared school districtShares Yukon-Koyukuk School District with 6+ other towns.
Compared with similar places

$2,765 per resident in 2022: more than 75% of them

Hughes’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,765 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 67 Alaska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,751, and the middle half spent $992–$2,746. Hughes spent more than 75% of them.

Middle half of the group, $992–$2,746Median $1,751Hughes

Includes sewer and trash ($66,000), 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
67

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

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $2,765 per resident a year, or $7.58 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 55%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 47%Fees & charges 30%From the state 14%Interest, fines & other 4%From the federal government 4%From other local governments 1%
Not in the receipt.With the enterprises, the whole budget was $710,000.
Over the years

No trend yet

Hughes reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.

City staff
1

full-time in March 2025, down from 2 in 2022.

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Hughes

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

Check Hughes’ own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Hughes yet.
Who works for Hughes

One full-time city employee for every 81 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (81).

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

Administration & buildings1 + 1 pt
Water & other utilities0 + 2 pt
Other0 + 2 pt
1
full-time
5
part-time
$17,539
payroll for March 2025
$210,468
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$97,200
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Hughes had 24.7 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 39 of the 67 Alaska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 16.0: Hughes had more than 72% 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.

The school district

Yukon-Koyukuk School District

Hughes’ K–12 school district, shared with Allakaket, Bettles, Huslia, Kaltag, Koyukuk and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Hughes →
$13,072
per pupil · AK $21,070
3,620
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $13,072 per pupil, $8,182 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 10%State 67%Federal 23%

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

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

Who represents Hughes

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Hughes.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Alaska HouseState representatives
    Becky Schwanke
  3. 3
    Alaska SenateState senator
    Mike Cronk
  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 Hughes’ government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Hughes’ government

How much does Hughes spend per resident?

About $2,765 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,765 was more than 75% of 67 Alaska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

Who runs Hughes’ government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Hughes yet.

How many people work for Hughes?

1 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $17,539 (about $210,468 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Hughes in the state legislature?

State Senate District R (Mike Cronk) and State House District 36 (Becky Schwanke). The House district also covers 19 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Hughes’ 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 →