Photo: Fletcher · CC BY 4.0How is Peabody run?
Peabody’s city government spent $270.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $5,027 per resident. Water and other utilities ($93.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Peabody is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Peabody School District
Peabody’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Peabody, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $21,334 per pupil, $13,448 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 $5,027 per resident a year, or $13.77 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 49% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Peabody runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with Massachusetts cities of 50,000–99,999 that run their own schools.
$4,079 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Peabody’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($4,079 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 18 Massachusetts cities of 50,000–99,999 that run their own schools: the median was $4,282, and the middle half spent $3,909–$4,965. Peabody spent less than 61% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.2 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 50,000–99,999 that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Peabody itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 25% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Peabody 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: $4,079 · 2023: $4,233 · 2024: $5,027.
full-time in March 2025, up from 1,360 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $5,065 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.85% 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 Peabody’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 Peabody’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Peabody →
Who’s in charge in Peabody
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Peabody’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on peabody-ma.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 38 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (53,896).
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 Peabody voted in 2024
Official results for Peabody’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat50.5%14,571 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican47.5%13,684 votesOthers: 2.0% (571 votes).
Most votes in Peabody: Kamala D Harris
Essex County: Harris 58.9%, Trump 38.7% · Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%
of Peabody’s 41,338 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Massachusetts: 67%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Peabody: John Deaton
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: Peabody, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peabody | 50.5% | 47.5% | 2.0% | 28,826 |
| 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 Peabody.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: peabody-ma.gov ↗
- 2Massachusetts HousePeabody 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 Peabody compares with the towns next door
Peabody spent $4,079 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.
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 Peabody’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Peabody’s government
How much does Peabody spend per resident?
About $5,027 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 $4,079 was less than 61% of 18 Massachusetts cities of 50,000–99,999 that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Peabody?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,065 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.85% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.07% across Massachusetts. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see peabody-ma.gov.
Who runs Peabody’s government?
See peabody-ma.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Peabody yet.
How did Peabody vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 50.5%, Donald J Trump 47.5% (28,826 votes, official results). Essex County: Harris 58.9%, Trump 38.7%. Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%.
How many people work for Peabody?
1,410 full-time and 313 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $9.5M (about $114.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Peabody in the state legislature?
Peabody is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Massachusetts Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District Second Essex (Joan Lovely). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Peabody’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 →