Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0In Northampton, 69% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Massachusetts
Northampton’s city government spent $134.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $4,594 per resident. Water and other utilities ($6.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Northampton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Northampton School District
Northampton’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Northampton, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $23,711 per pupil, $14,580 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 $4,594 per resident a year, or $12.59 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 47% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Northampton 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.
$4,167 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Northampton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($4,167 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 22 Massachusetts cities of 25,000–49,999 that run their own schools: the median was $4,238, and the middle half spent $3,816–$4,686. Northampton spent less than 54% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($7.6 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; Northampton itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 14% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Northampton 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: $4,167 · 2023: $4,140 · 2024: $4,594.
full-time in March 2025, up from 1,166 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.
The typical homeowner pays $5,680 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.32% 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 Northampton’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 Northampton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Northampton →
Who’s in charge in Northampton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Northampton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on northamptonma.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 24 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 (29,327).
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.
How Northampton voted in 2024
Official results for Northampton’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat84.8%14,477 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican10.5%1,800 votesOthers: 4.6% (787 votes).
Most votes in Northampton: Kamala D Harris
Hampshire County: Harris 69.2%, Trump 27.5% · Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%
of Northampton’s 24,845 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Massachusetts: 67%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Northampton: Elizabeth Ann Warren
Hampshire County: Warren 69.3%, Deaton 30.6% · Massachusetts: Warren 59.8%, Deaton 40.0%
Most votes in the district: James P Mc Govern
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Northampton, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northampton | 84.8% | 10.5% | 4.6% | 17,064 |
| Hampshire County | 69.2% | 27.5% | 3.4% | 84,720 |
| 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 Northampton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: northamptonma.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 Northampton compares with the towns next door
Northampton spent $4,167 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Hadley | $4,162 runs schools | $5,271 |
| Hatfield | $4,442 runs schools | $4,930 |
| Easthampton | estimate | $4,932 |
| Northampton | $4,167 | $5,680 |
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 Northampton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Northampton’s government
How much does Northampton spend per resident?
About $4,594 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 $4,167 was less than 54% of 22 Massachusetts cities of 25,000–49,999 that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Northampton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,680 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.32% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.07% across Massachusetts. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see northamptonma.gov.
Who runs Northampton’s government?
See northamptonma.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Northampton yet.
How did Northampton vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 84.8%, Donald J Trump 10.5% (17,064 votes, official results). Hampshire County: Harris 69.2%, Trump 27.5%. Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%.
How many people work for Northampton?
1,239 full-time and 1,021 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $11.3M (about $135.9M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Northampton in the state legislature?
State Senate District Hampshire-Franklin-Worcester (Jo Comerford) and State House District 1st Hampshire (Lindsay Sabadosa). The House district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Northampton’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 →