Photo: Tim Pierce · CC BY 3.0In Arlington, 83% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Massachusetts
Arlington’s town government spent $218 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $4,788 per resident. Water and other utilities ($17.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Arlington is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Arlington School District
Arlington’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Arlington, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $22,282 per pupil, $14,132 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.
Massachusetts districts overall: 49% local, 43% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $4,788 per resident a year, or $13.12 a day
Schools are part of the town’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 63% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Arlington runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with Massachusetts towns and townships of 25,000–49,999 that run their own schools.
$4,437 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns
Arlington’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($4,437 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 30 Massachusetts towns and townships of 25,000–49,999 that run their own schools: the median was $4,591, and the middle half spent $4,076–$5,138. Arlington spent less than 63% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.9 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 →
Massachusetts towns and townships of 25,000–49,999 that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Arlington itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 9% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Arlington 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: $4,437 · 2023: $4,927 · 2024: $4,788.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $9,604 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.03% of the home’s value, vs 1.07% across Massachusetts.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Arlington’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 Arlington’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Arlington →
Who’s in charge in Arlington
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Arlington’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on arlingtonma.gov ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 36 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 (45,522).
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.
How Arlington voted in 2024
Official results for Arlington’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat81.6%22,399 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican15.4%4,219 votesOthers: 3.1% (846 votes).
Most votes in Arlington: Kamala D Harris
Middlesex County: Harris 68.0%, Trump 28.9% · Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%
of Arlington’s 33,006 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Massachusetts: 67%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Arlington: Elizabeth Ann Warren
Middlesex County: Warren 66.5%, Deaton 33.3% · Massachusetts: Warren 59.8%, Deaton 40.0%
Most votes in the district: Katherine M Clark
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Arlington, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington | 81.6% | 15.4% | 3.1% | 27,464 |
| Middlesex County | 68.0% | 28.9% | 3.1% | 814,832 |
| Massachusetts | 61.2% | 36.0% | 2.8% | 3,473,668 |
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 Arlington.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: arlingtonma.gov ↗
- 2Massachusetts HouseArlington is split between 2 districts
- 3Massachusetts SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Massachusetts
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Arlington compares with the towns next door
Arlington spent $4,437 per resident in 2022; the 6 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $3,184 to $8,443. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Medford | $3,184 runs schools | $6,286 |
| Somerville | $4,039 runs schools | $6,186 |
| Cambridge | $4,730 runs schools | $4,802 |
| Belmont | $5,010 runs schools | $10,000+ |
| Winchester | $6,171 runs schools | $10,000+ |
| Lexington | $8,443 runs schools | $10,000+ |
| Arlington | $4,437 | $9,604 |
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 Arlington’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Arlington’s government
How much does Arlington spend per resident?
About $4,788 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 $4,437 was less than 63% of 30 Massachusetts towns and townships of 25,000–49,999 that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Arlington?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $9,604 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.03% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.07% across Massachusetts. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see arlingtonma.gov.
Who runs Arlington’s government?
See arlingtonma.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Arlington yet.
How did Arlington vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 81.6%, Donald J Trump 15.4% (27,464 votes, official results). Middlesex County: Harris 68.0%, Trump 28.9%. Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%.
How many people work for Arlington?
1,274 full-time and 435 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $8.9M (about $106.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Arlington in the state legislature?
Arlington is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Massachusetts Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District Fourth Middlesex (Cindy Friedman). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Arlington’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 →