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WainwrightPhoto: Thester11 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Wainwright

How is Wainwright run?

Wainwright’s city government spent $1.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $2,002 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Wainwright didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Election Day

Today

General election in Alaska.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$1.2M
year to June 30, 2022 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2022
$2,002
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
Not reported
end of FY2022 · Census estimate
City staff, 2022
17
full-time · 8 part-time · March payroll $48,125
Typical tax bill
$1,361
1.16% of home value · AK 1.11%

What stands out about how Wainwright is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

A shared school districtShares North Slope Borough School District with 6+ other towns.Low bills, a higher rateThe typical bill is $1,361 a year: 1.16% of the home’s value, vs 1.11% across Alaska.
The school district

North Slope Borough School District

Wainwright’s K–12 school district, shared with Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Kaktovik, Nuiqsut, Point Hope and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Wainwright →
$46,456
per pupil · AK $21,070
1,969
students
$75,000
long-term debt

Of the $46,456 per pupil, $18,274 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 55%State 27%Federal 18%

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

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

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $2,002 per resident a year, or $5.48 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 33%.

Where the money comes from
From the state 64%Interest, fines & other 35%Fees & charges 1%
An estimate

Wainwright didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Building projects $1,000. With these, the whole budget was $1.2 million.
About “Other”.45% of Wainwright’s day-to-day spending ($517,000) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Wainwright yet

Every year of Wainwright’s 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 →
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,361 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.16% of the home’s value, vs 1.11% across Alaska.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Alaska$3,901
Wainwright$1,361
$1,361
typical bill a year
1.16%
effective rate
$117,000
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Wainwright

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

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

One full-time city employee for every 34 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 (577).

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

Administration & buildings3 + 8 pt
Parks & libraries6
Health & welfare4
Other4
17
full-time
8
part-time
$48,125
payroll for March 2022
$577,500
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$30,800
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Wainwright’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.

Who represents Wainwright

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Wainwright.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Alaska HouseState representatives
    Robyn Frier
  3. 3
    Alaska SenateState senator
    Donny Olson
  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 Wainwright’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Wainwright’s government

How much does Wainwright spend per resident?

About $2,002 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Wainwright didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $1.2 million.

What is the property tax rate in Wainwright?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,361 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.16% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.11% across Alaska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.

Who runs Wainwright’s government?

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

How many people work for Wainwright?

17 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $48,125 (about $577,500 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Wainwright in the state legislature?

State Senate District T (Donny Olson) and State House District 40 (Robyn Frier). The House district also covers 16 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Wainwright’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 Wainwright, 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 →