Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0In Gloucester, 73% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Massachusetts
Gloucester’s city government spent $177.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $5,952 per resident. Water and other utilities ($7.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Gloucester is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Gloucester School District
Gloucester’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Gloucester, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $25,392 per pupil, $13,874 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 $5,952 per resident a year, or $16.31 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 44% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Gloucester runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with Massachusetts cities of 25,000–49,999 that run their own schools.
$4,376 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Gloucester’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($4,376 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 22 Massachusetts cities of 25,000–49,999 that run their own schools: the median was $4,168, and the middle half spent $3,816–$4,686. Gloucester spent more than 59% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($9.2 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 cities of 25,000–49,999 that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Gloucester itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 33% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Gloucester 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: $4,376 · 2023: $5,091 · 2024: $5,952.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $6,152 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.02% 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 Gloucester’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 Gloucester’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Gloucester →
Who’s in charge in Gloucester
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Gloucester’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on gloucester-ma.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 35 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 (29,836).
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 Gloucester voted in 2024
Official results for Gloucester’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat62.8%11,138 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican34.8%6,175 votesOthers: 2.3% (412 votes).
Most votes in Gloucester: Kamala D Harris
Essex County: Harris 58.9%, Trump 38.7% · Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%
of Gloucester’s 24,162 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Massachusetts: 67%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Gloucester: Elizabeth Ann Warren
Essex County: Warren 57.8%, Deaton 42.0% · Massachusetts: Warren 59.8%, Deaton 40.0%
Most votes in the district: Seth W Moulton
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Gloucester, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gloucester | 62.8% | 34.8% | 2.3% | 17,725 |
| Essex County | 58.9% | 38.7% | 2.5% | 401,851 |
| 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 Gloucester.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: gloucester-ma.gov ↗
- 2Massachusetts HouseState representatives
- 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 Gloucester compares with the towns next door
Gloucester spent $4,376 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester-by-the-Sea | $2,833 | $9,291 |
| Ipswich | $4,398 runs schools | $7,960 |
| Essex | $4,904 runs schools | $10,000+ |
| Rockport | $5,619 runs schools | $6,215 |
| Gloucester | $4,376 | $6,152 |
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 Gloucester’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Gloucester’s government
How much does Gloucester spend per resident?
About $5,952 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 $4,376 was more than 59% of 22 Massachusetts cities of 25,000–49,999 that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Gloucester?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $6,152 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.02% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.07% across Massachusetts. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see gloucester-ma.gov.
Who runs Gloucester’s government?
See gloucester-ma.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Gloucester yet.
How did Gloucester vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 62.8%, Donald J Trump 34.8% (17,725 votes, official results). Essex County: Harris 58.9%, Trump 38.7%. Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%.
How many people work for Gloucester?
850 full-time and 161 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $5.8M (about $70.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Gloucester in the state legislature?
State Senate District First Essex and Middlesex (Bruce Tarr) and State House District 5th Essex (Dru Tarr). The House district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Gloucester’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 →