Photo: Dwight Burdette · CC BY 3.0How is Berea run?
Berea’s city government spent $14 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $906 per resident. Water and other utilities ($14.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Berea is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $906 per resident a year, or $2.48 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$716 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Berea’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($716 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 19 Kentucky cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $763, and the middle half spent $581–$1,106. Berea spent less than 58% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.6 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 →
Kentucky cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Berea itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 20% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Berea 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: $716 · 2023: $920 · 2024: $906. Per resident it went from $716 to $906 (up 27%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 16,287 to 15,494.
full-time in March 2025, up from 141 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,447 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.72% of the home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Berea’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 Berea’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Berea →
Who’s in charge in Berea
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Berea’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on bereaky.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 102 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (15,494).
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.
Madison County School District
Berea’s K–12 school district, shared with Richmond. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,220 per pupil, $7,166 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.
Kentucky districts overall: 37% local, 46% state, 17% federal.
Berea Independent School District · $17,981 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Berea’s votes are counted by county
Kentucky reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Berea alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Madison County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican64.5%29,130 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat33.6%15,180 votesOthers: 1.9% (878 votes).
Most votes in Madison County: Donald J Trump
Kentucky: Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.9%
100% of Berea lies in Madison County. Every 2024 race in Madison County is on the county’s page.
Madison County’s 2024 results →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.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Berea.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: bereaky.gov ↗
- 2Kentucky HouseBerea is split between 3 districts
- 3Kentucky SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kentucky
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Berea’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Berea’s government
How much does Berea spend per resident?
About $906 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 $716 was less than 58% of 19 Kentucky cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Berea?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,447 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.72% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bereaky.gov.
Who runs Berea’s government?
See bereaky.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Berea yet.
How did Berea vote in 2024?
Kentucky counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Berea alone. Madison County, where 100% of Berea lies, voted Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Berea?
152 full-time and 35 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $866,406 (about $10.4M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Berea in the state legislature?
Berea is split among 3 State House districts, so your address decides. The Kentucky Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 34 (Jared Carpenter). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Berea’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 →