Chief Shakes Historic Site · Photo: James Crippen · CC BY 2.5Wrangell spent less per resident in 2022 than 81% of similar cities
Wrangell’s city government spent $20.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $9,753 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Wrangell is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$6,129 per resident in 2022: less than 81% of them
Wrangell’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($6,129 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 16 Alaska cities that run their own schools: the median was $9,666, and the middle half spent $7,449–$13,455. Wrangell spent less than 81% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.1 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; Wrangell itself left out).
About $9,753 per resident a year, or $26.72 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 31% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Wrangell runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with Alaska cities that run their own schools.
Day-to-day spending is up 31% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Wrangell 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: $6,129 · 2023: $7,191 · 2024: $9,753. Per resident it went from $6,129 to $9,753 (up 59%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 2,510 to 2,070.
full-time in March 2025, up from 87 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 $1,673 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.56% 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 Wrangell’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 Wrangell’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wrangell →
Who’s in charge in Wrangell
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 22 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 (2,070).
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.
Wrangell School District
Wrangell’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Wrangell, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $22,963 per pupil, $12,609 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 Wrangell.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Wrangell’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Wrangell’s government
How much does Wrangell spend per resident?
About $9,753 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 $6,129 was less than 81% of 16 Alaska cities that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Wrangell?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,673 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.56% 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 Wrangell’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wrangell yet.
How many people work for Wrangell?
95 full-time and 34 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $641,043 (about $7.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Wrangell in the state legislature?
State Senate District A (Bert Stedman) and State House District 1 (Jeremy Bynum). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wrangell’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 →