Solomon Fowler Mansion · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainBristol spent more per resident in 2022 than 99% of similar cities
Bristol’s town government spent $10.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $5,841 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bristol is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$3,956 per resident in 2022: more than 99% of them
Bristol’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($3,956 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 363 Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $586, and the middle half spent $292–$960. Bristol spent more than 99% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($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 →
Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bristol itself left out).
About $5,841 per resident a year, or $16.00 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 55% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bristol 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: $3,956 · 2024: $5,841. Per resident it went from $3,956 to $5,841 (up 48%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,697 to 1,787.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,792 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.78% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bristol’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 Bristol’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bristol →
Who’s in charge in Bristol
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bristol’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on bristolindiana.net ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 78 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 (1,787).
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.
Elkhart Community Schools
Bristol’s K–12 school district, shared with Cleveland Township, Osolo Township, Washington Township, Elkhart, Concord Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,724 per pupil, $8,544 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.
Indiana districts overall: 33% local, 56% state, 11% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Bristol.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: bristolindiana.net ↗
- 2Indiana HouseState representatives
- 3Indiana SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Indiana
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Bristol’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bristol’s government
How much does Bristol spend per resident?
About $5,841 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 $3,956 was more than 99% of 363 Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bristol?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,792 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.78% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bristolindiana.net.
Who runs Bristol’s government?
See bristolindiana.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bristol yet.
How many people work for Bristol?
23 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $119,772 (about $1.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bristol in the state legislature?
State Senate District 11 (Linda Rogers) and State House District 48 (Doug Miller). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bristol’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 →