Photo: Pesotsky · CC BY 3.0Brookline spent more per resident in 2022 than 81% of similar towns
Brookline’s town government spent $390.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $6,242 per resident. Water and other utilities ($28.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Brookline is run
Read from the town’s budget, meetings and official records.
6 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Brookline’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov4School CommitteeWednesday · 4:00 pm · Town Hall, 5th Floor, School Committee RoomSchool Negotiations Subcommittee MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov4Housing Advisory BoardWednesday · 5:30 pm · Virtual Public Hearing and Meeting (Zoom)Housing Advisory Board Hearing and MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov4Transportation BoardWednesday · 6:30 pmTransportation Board MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov4Advisory CommitteeWednesday · 7:00 pm · Remote via Zoom and In Person - Denny Room, Public Health Building - 11 Pierce StreetAdvisory Committee MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov4Brookline Commission for WomenWednesday · 7:00 pm · Virtual Meeting (Zoom)Agenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov5Zoning Board of AppealsThursday · 7:00 pm · Virtual Public Hearing (Zoom)Zoning Board of Appeals Virtual Public HearingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Nov2Comprehensive Plan Steering CommitteeMonday · 7:00 pm · Hybrid Meeting (Town Hall, 4th Floor - Room 408 and by ZOOM)Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Nov2Jack Kirrane Ice Skating Rink Design Review CommitteeMonday · 6:00 pm · Virtual Zoom MeetingJack Kirrane Ice Skating Rink Design Review Committee Meeting #4Agenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Nov2Brookline Commission for the ArtsMonday · 3:00 pm · Remote Zoom MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct29Planning BoardThursday · 7:30 pm · Virtual Public Meeting (Zoom)Planning Board MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct29Advisory CommitteeThursday · 7:00 pmAdvisory Committee MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $6,242 per resident a year, or $17.10 a day
Schools are part of the town’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 55% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Brookline runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with Massachusetts towns and townships of 50,000–99,999 that run their own schools.
$5,707 per resident in 2022: more than 81% of them
Brookline’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($5,707 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 32 Massachusetts towns and townships of 50,000–99,999 that run their own schools: the median was $4,548, and the middle half spent $4,046–$5,052. Brookline spent more than 81% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.7 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 50,000–99,999 that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Brookline itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 16% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Brookline 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: $5,707 · 2023: $5,393 · 2024: $6,242. Per resident it went from $5,707 to $6,242 (up 9%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 59,022 to 62,535.
full-time in March 2025, up from 1,733 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.
Typical bills top $10,000 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Brookline’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 Brookline’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Brookline →
Who’s in charge in Brookline
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 35 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 (62,535).
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.
Brookline School District
Brookline’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Brookline, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $29,170 per pupil, $18,737 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.
How Brookline voted in 2024
Official results for Brookline’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat83.9%23,710 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican12.4%3,497 votesOthers: 3.7% (1,039 votes).
Most votes in Brookline: Kamala D Harris
Norfolk County: Harris 62.8%, Trump 34.3% · Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%
of Brookline’s 43,279 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Massachusetts: 67%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Brookline: Elizabeth Ann Warren
Norfolk County: Warren 59.3%, Deaton 40.5% · Massachusetts: Warren 59.8%, Deaton 40.0%
Most votes in the district: Jake Auchincloss
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Brookline, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookline | 83.9% | 12.4% | 3.7% | 28,246 |
| Norfolk County | 62.8% | 34.3% | 2.9% | 386,447 |
| 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
Brookline sends 4 representatives to the Massachusetts House alone.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: brooklinema.gov ↗
- 2Massachusetts HouseBrookline is split between 4 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 Brookline compares with the towns next door
Brookline spent $5,707 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are cities, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar towns, above. Tap a town to see its page.
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 Brookline’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Brookline’s government
How much does Brookline spend per resident?
About $6,242 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 $5,707 was more than 81% of 32 Massachusetts towns and townships of 50,000–99,999 that run their own schools.
Who runs Brookline’s government?
See brooklinema.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Brookline yet.
How did Brookline vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 83.9%, Donald J Trump 12.4% (28,246 votes, official results). Norfolk County: Harris 62.8%, Trump 34.3%. Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%.
How many people work for Brookline?
1,805 full-time and 1,454 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $19.9M (about $238.3M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Brookline in the state legislature?
Brookline is split among 4 State House districts, so your address decides. The Massachusetts Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District Norfolk and Middlesex (Cynthia Creem). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Brookline?
The next posted meeting is School Committee on Wednesday, November 4, at 4:00 pm in Town Hall, 5th Floor, School Committee Room, from the town’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Brookline’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 →