Photo: Fletcher6 · CC BY-SA 3.0In Hamilton, 86% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Massachusetts
Hamilton’s town government spent $10.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $1,286 per resident. Water and other utilities ($707,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Hamilton is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Hamilton-Wenham School District
Hamilton’s K–12 school district, shared with Wenham. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $24,472 per pupil, $14,115 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 $1,286 per resident a year, or $3.52 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 17%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,286 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns
Hamilton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,286 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 48 Massachusetts towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,369, and the middle half spent $1,208–$1,619. Hamilton spent less than 65% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($656,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Massachusetts towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Hamilton itself left out).
No trend yet
Hamilton reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
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 Hamilton’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 Hamilton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Hamilton →
Who’s in charge in Hamilton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Hamilton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on hamiltonma.gov ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 149 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (8,070).
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 Hamilton voted in 2024
Official results for Hamilton’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat66.2%3,157 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican30.3%1,445 votesOthers: 3.5% (168 votes).
Most votes in Hamilton: Kamala D Harris
Essex County: Harris 58.9%, Trump 38.7% · Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%
of Hamilton’s 5,571 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Massachusetts: 67%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Hamilton: 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: Hamilton, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | 66.2% | 30.3% | 3.5% | 4,770 |
| 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 Hamilton.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: hamiltonma.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 Hamilton compares with the towns next door
Hamilton spent $1,286 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,608 to $4,904. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Wenham | $1,608 | $10,000+ |
| Manchester-by-the-Sea | $2,833 | $9,291 |
| Topsfield | $3,702 runs schools | $10,000+ |
| Ipswich | $4,398 runs schools | $7,960 |
| Essex | $4,904 runs schools | $10,000+ |
| Hamilton | $1,286 | $10,000+ |
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 Hamilton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Hamilton’s government
How much does Hamilton spend per resident?
About $1,286 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,286 was less than 65% of 48 Massachusetts towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Hamilton’s government?
See hamiltonma.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Hamilton yet.
How did Hamilton vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 66.2%, Donald J Trump 30.3% (4,770 votes, official results). Essex County: Harris 58.9%, Trump 38.7%. Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%.
How many people work for Hamilton?
54 full-time and 43 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $454,392 (about $5.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Hamilton in the state legislature?
State Senate District First Essex and Middlesex (Bruce Tarr) and State House District 2nd Essex (Kristin Kassner). The House district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Hamilton’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 →