Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to McGrath

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Man, woman and child in front of McGrath Post Office, McGrath, Alaska, September 1914Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain
Town Hall · McGrath

How is McGrath run?

McGrath’s city government spent $215,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $721 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: McGrath didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Alaska.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2023
$215,000
year to June 30, 2023 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2023
$721
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
Not reported
end of FY2023 · Census estimate
City staff, 2022
3
full-time · 5 part-time · March payroll $21,036
Typical tax bill
$199
0.18% of home value · AK 1.11%

What stands out about how McGrath is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2023 budget

About $721 per resident a year, or $1.98 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 36%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 50%From the state 22%Fees & charges 21%Interest, fines & other 4%Sales taxes 3%
An estimate

McGrath didn’t report all of its 2023 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.With the enterprises, the whole budget was $472,000.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for McGrath yet

Every year of McGrath’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2023. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $199 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.18% of the home’s value, vs 1.11% across Alaska.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Alaska$3,901
McGrath$199
$199
typical bill a year
0.18%
effective rate
$112,500
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at McGrath’s 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 McGrath’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in McGrath →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in McGrath

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

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

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

Who works for McGrath

One full-time city employee for every 99 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (298).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Water & other utilities2
Roads & transportation1 + 1 pt
Administration & buildings0 + 2 pt
Other0 + 2 pt
3
full-time
5
part-time
$21,036
payroll for March 2022
$252,432
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$57,900
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and McGrath’s 2022 budget was a Census estimate, so there is no group to compare with.

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

Iditarod Area School District

McGrath’s K–12 school district, shared with Anvik, Grayling, Holy Cross, Nikolai, Shageluk. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in McGrath →
$31,744
per pupil · AK $21,070
324
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $31,744 per pupil, $12,963 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 68%Federal 29%

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

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

Who represents McGrath

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for McGrath.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
  2. 2
    Alaska HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Alaska SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Alaska

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

Reach McGrath’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about McGrath’s government

How much does McGrath spend per resident?

About $721 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, a Census Bureau estimate (McGrath didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $472,000.

What is the property tax rate in McGrath?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $199 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.18% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.11% across Alaska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofmcgrath.org.

Who runs McGrath’s government?

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

How many people work for McGrath?

3 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $21,036 (about $252,432 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents McGrath 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 McGrath’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 (for McGrath, 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 →