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James Pardee HouseJames Pardee House · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Sharon

Sharon spent more per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar towns

Sharon’s town government spent $14.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $5,449 per resident.

Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Connecticut.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$14.8M
year to June 30, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$5,449
In 2022: $6,535, more than 100% of 19 similar towns
Long-term debt
$3.6M
end of FY2024, reported
Town staff, 2022
50
full-time · 21 part-time · March payroll $309,669
Typical tax bill
$4,484
0.76% of home value · CT 1.81%

What stands out about how Sharon is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$6,535 per resident in 2022: more than 100% of them

Sharon’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($6,535 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 19 Connecticut towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that run their own schools: the median was $3,995, and the middle half spent $3,222–$4,751. Sharon spent more than 100% of them.

Middle half of the group, $3,222–$4,751Median $3,995Sharon

Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
19

Connecticut towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Sharon itself left out).

Your share of the 2024 budget

About $5,449 per resident a year, or $14.93 a day

Schools are part of the town’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 40% of day-to-day spending.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 88%Interest, fines & other 6%From the state 5%Fees & charges <1%From the federal government <1%
Schools included

Sharon runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with Connecticut towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that run their own schools.

Not in the receipt.Building projects $510,000; interest on debt $142,000. With these, the whole budget was $15.5 million.
About “Other”.40% of Sharon’s day-to-day spending ($6 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Over the years

Day-to-day spending is down 16% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Sharon reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$17.6 million
2024$14.8 million

Per resident: 2022: $6,535 · 2024: $5,449.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $4,484 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.76% of the home’s value, vs 1.81% across Connecticut.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Connecticut$6,643
North East$6,156
Cornwall$5,792
Salisbury$5,125
Kent$4,520
Sharon$4,484
Cornwall Bridge$4,107
Amenia$3,620
West Cornwall$3,056
$4,484
typical bill a year
0.76%
effective rate
$590,700
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Sharon

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

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

One full-time town employee for every 54 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 (2,724).

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

Schools35 + 5 pt
Administration & buildings4 + 9 pt
Roads & transportation8
Health & welfare1 + 2 pt
Parks & libraries1 + 1 pt
Other1 + 4 pt
50
full-time
21
part-time
$309,669
payroll for March 2022
$3.7M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$70,900
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Sharon had 18.6 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 12 of the 19 Connecticut towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 21.5: Sharon had fewer than 75% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

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

Regional School District 01

Sharon’s high school district, shared with Canaan, Cornwall, Kent, North Canaan, Salisbury. The schools are run by Sharon, so this money is part of the budget above.

Schools in Sharon →
$40,382
per pupil · CT $25,892
314
students
$9.2 million
long-term debt

Of the $40,382 per pupil, $22,978 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 73%State 20%Federal 7%

Connecticut districts overall: 58% local, 35% state, 8% federal.

Also serving Sharon

Sharon School District · $55,764 per pupil

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

Elections · 2024 general election

How Sharon voted in 2024

Official results for Sharon’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.

President1,576 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat67.8%1,068 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican31.0%488 votes

Others: 1.3% (20 votes).

Most votes in Sharon: Kamala D Harris

Connecticut: Harris 56.4%, Trump 41.9%

Turnout
71%

of Sharon’s 2,234 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Connecticut: 66%.

Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).

U.S. Senate1,510 votes
Christopher S MurphyDemocrat67.7%
Matthew M CoreyRepublican31.3%
Others1.0%

Most votes in Sharon: Christopher S Murphy

Connecticut: Murphy 58.6%, Corey 39.7%

President, 2024: Sharon, its county and the state

HarrisTrumpOthersVotes
Sharon67.8%31.0%1.3%1,576
Connecticut56.4%41.9%1.7%1,759,010
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.

Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.

Next door

How Sharon compares with the towns next door

Sharon spent $6,535 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $6,444 to $8,013. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Kent$6,444 runs schools$4,520
Cornwall$8,013 runs schools$5,792
Salisburyestimate$5,125
Sharon$6,535$4,484

Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).

Reach Sharon’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Sharon’s government

How much does Sharon spend per resident?

About $5,449 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 $6,535 was more than 100% of 19 Connecticut towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Sharon?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,484 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.76% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.81% across Connecticut. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.

Who runs Sharon’s government?

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

How did Sharon vote in 2024?

For president, Kamala D Harris 67.8%, Donald J Trump 31.0% (1,576 votes, official results). . Connecticut: Harris 56.4%, Trump 41.9%.

How many people work for Sharon?

50 full-time and 21 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $309,669 (about $3.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Sharon’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; 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 →