Photo: Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger) · Public domainIn Rockland, 72% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Massachusetts
Rockland’s town government spent $94.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $5,346 per resident. Water and other utilities ($5.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Rockland is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Rockland School District
Rockland’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Rockland, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $23,893 per pupil, $14,186 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 $5,346 per resident a year, or $14.65 a day
Schools are part of the town’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 59% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Rockland runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with Massachusetts towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools.
$4,860 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns
Rockland’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($4,860 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 75 Massachusetts towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools: the median was $4,531, and the middle half spent $3,716–$5,278. Rockland spent more than 59% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.4 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 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Rockland itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 8% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Rockland 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: $4,860 · 2023: $4,953 · 2024: $5,346.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $6,487 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.37% 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 Rockland’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 Rockland’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Rockland →
Who’s in charge in Rockland
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Rockland’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on rockland-ma.gov ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 30 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (17,609).
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 Rockland voted in 2024
Official results for Rockland’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican48.7%4,729 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat48.7%4,726 votesOthers: 2.6% (251 votes).
Most votes in Rockland: Donald J Trump
Plymouth County: Harris 53.3%, Trump 44.5% · Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%
of Rockland’s 13,561 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Massachusetts: 67%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Rockland: John Deaton
Plymouth County: Deaton 50.0%, Warren 49.9% · Massachusetts: Warren 59.8%, Deaton 40.0%
Most votes in the district: Bill Keating
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Rockland, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockland | 48.7% | 48.7% | 2.6% | 9,706 |
| Plymouth County | 44.5% | 53.3% | 2.2% | 300,129 |
| Massachusetts | 36.0% | 61.2% | 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 Rockland.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: rockland-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 Rockland compares with the towns next door
Rockland spent $4,860 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $3,796 to $6,310. Towns that run more services spend more. 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 Rockland’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Rockland’s government
How much does Rockland spend per resident?
About $5,346 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 $4,860 was more than 59% of 75 Massachusetts towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Rockland?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $6,487 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.37% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.07% across Massachusetts. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see rockland-ma.gov.
Who runs Rockland’s government?
See rockland-ma.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Rockland yet.
How did Rockland vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 48.7%, Kamala D Harris 48.7% (9,706 votes, official results). Plymouth County: Harris 53.3%, Trump 44.5%. Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%.
How many people work for Rockland?
588 full-time and 46 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $3.4M (about $40.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Rockland in the state legislature?
State Senate District Norfolk and Plymouth (John Keenan) and State House District 5th Plymouth (David DeCoste). The House district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Rockland’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 →