Photo: Wanetta Ayers · Public domainHow is Unalaska run?
Unalaska’s city government spent $39.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $9,366 per resident. Water and other utilities ($16.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Unalaska is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Unalaska City School District
Unalaska’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Unalaska, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $27,190 per pupil, $14,955 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.
About $9,366 per resident a year, or $25.66 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 27% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Unalaska runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with Alaska cities that run their own schools.
$9,819 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Unalaska’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($9,819 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 16 Alaska cities that run their own schools: the median was $9,278, and the middle half spent $6,778–$13,455. Unalaska spent more than 56% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.3 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 →
Alaska cities that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Unalaska itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 11% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Unalaska reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $9,819 · 2023: $9,085 · 2024: $9,366. Per resident it went from $9,819 to $9,366 (down 5%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 4,473 to 4,184.
full-time in March 2025, the same as 209 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,090 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.67% 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 Unalaska’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.
Tax bills are one input to Unalaska’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Unalaska →
Who’s in charge in Unalaska
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Unalaska’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.unalaska.ak.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 20 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 (4,184).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Unalaska.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.unalaska.ak.us ↗
- 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 Unalaska’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Unalaska’s government
How much does Unalaska spend per resident?
About $9,366 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 $9,819 was more than 56% of 16 Alaska cities that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Unalaska?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,090 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.67% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.11% across Alaska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.unalaska.ak.us.
Who runs Unalaska’s government?
See ci.unalaska.ak.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Unalaska yet.
How many people work for Unalaska?
209 full-time and 38 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.7M (about $20.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Unalaska in the state legislature?
State Senate District S (Lyman Hoffman) and State House District 37 (Bryce Edgmon). The House district also covers 28 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Unalaska’s 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; 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 →