Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Whittier spent more per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities
Whittier’s city government spent $4.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $15,815 per resident. Water and other utilities ($311,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Whittier is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$27,547 per resident in 2022: more than 100% of them
Whittier’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($27,547 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–$2,734. Whittier spent more than 100% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($62,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Alaska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Whittier itself left out).
About $15,815 per resident a year, or $43.33 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 40%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 25% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Whittier 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: $27,547 · 2023: $15,410 · 2024: $15,815. Per resident it went from $27,547 to $15,815 (down 43%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 203 to 265.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $476 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.57% 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 Whittier’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 Whittier’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Whittier →
Who’s in charge in Whittier
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Whittier’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on whittieralaska.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 11 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (265).
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.
Chugach School District
Whittier’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,844 per pupil, $6,465 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 Whittier.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: whittieralaska.gov ↗
- 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 Whittier’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Whittier’s government
How much does Whittier spend per resident?
About $15,815 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $27,547 was more than 100% of 67 Alaska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Whittier?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $476 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.57% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.11% across Alaska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see whittieralaska.gov.
Who runs Whittier’s government?
See whittieralaska.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Whittier yet.
How many people work for Whittier?
24 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $167,641 (about $2.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Whittier in the state legislature?
State Senate District E (Cathy Giessel) and State House District 9 (Ky Holland). The House district also covers parts of 1 neighboring town. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Whittier’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 →