Photo: Nyttend · Public domainHow is Cumberland run?
Cumberland’s city government spent $1 million on day-to-day services in the year to July 31, 2024, about $557 per resident. Water and other utilities ($167,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Cumberland is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $557 per resident a year, or $1.53 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 34%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$371 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Cumberland’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($371 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 221 Kentucky cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $425, and the middle half spent $226–$721. Cumberland spent less than 58% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($129,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Kentucky cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Cumberland itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 49% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Cumberland 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: $371 · 2023: $521 · 2024: $557.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $594 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.89% 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 Cumberland’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 Cumberland’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Cumberland →
Who’s in charge in Cumberland
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 115 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (1,845).
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.
Harlan County School District
Cumberland’s K–12 school district, shared with Benham, Evarts, Loyall, Lynch. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,102 per pupil, $8,498 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Cumberland’s votes are counted by county
Kentucky reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cumberland alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Harlan County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican87.7%9,109 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat11.5%1,199 votesOthers: 0.8% (80 votes).
Most votes in Harlan County: Donald J Trump
Kentucky: Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.9%
100% of Cumberland lies in Harlan County. Every 2024 race in Harlan County is on the county’s page.
Harlan 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 Cumberland.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Kentucky HouseCumberland is split between 2 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 Cumberland’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Cumberland’s government
How much does Cumberland spend per resident?
About $557 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to July 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $371 was less than 58% of 221 Kentucky cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Cumberland?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $594 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.89% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Cumberland’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Cumberland yet.
How did Cumberland vote in 2024?
Kentucky counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cumberland alone. Harlan County, where 100% of Cumberland lies, voted Trump 87.7%, Harris 11.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Cumberland?
16 full-time and 20 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $73,464 (about $881,568 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Cumberland in the state legislature?
Cumberland is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Kentucky Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 29 (Scott Madon). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Cumberland’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 →