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Dewey Memorial Hall (Sheffield, MA)Photo: Daderot · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Sheffield

In Sheffield, 72% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Massachusetts

Sheffield’s town government spent $3.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $1,215 per resident.

Town website
Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Massachusetts.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$3.8M
year to June 30, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$1,215
In 2022: $1,215, less than 73% of 48 similar towns
Long-term debt
Not reported
end of FY2022, reported
Town staff, 2022
20
full-time · 50 part-time · March payroll $137,057
Typical tax bill
$4,520
1.10% of home value · MA 1.07%

What stands out about how Sheffield is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$1,215 per resident in 2022: less than 73% of them

Sheffield’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,215 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. Sheffield spent less than 73% of them.

Middle half of the group, $1,208–$1,619Median $1,369Sheffield

Includes sewer and trash ($141,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
48

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; Sheffield itself left out).

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $1,215 per resident a year, or $3.33 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 17%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 72%From the state 12%Fees & charges 9%Sales taxes 5%Interest, fines & other 1%Other taxes & licenses 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $866,000; payments to other governments $7.3 million. With these, the whole budget was $12 million.
About “Other”.31% of Sheffield’s day-to-day spending ($1.2 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Over the years

No trend yet

Sheffield reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $4,520 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.10% of the home’s value, vs 1.07% across Massachusetts.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Massachusetts$5,992
Salisbury$5,125
New Marlborough$4,689
Sheffield$4,520
Egremont$3,647
Mount Washington$3,316
$4,520
typical bill a year
1.10%
effective rate
$409,400
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Sheffield’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 Sheffield’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sheffield →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Sheffield

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See sheffieldma.gov for Sheffield’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Sheffield yet.sheffieldma.gov ↗
Agendas

Sheffield’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on sheffieldma.gov ↗.

Who works for Sheffield

One full-time town employee for every 156 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 (3,112).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Fire0 + 25 pt
Police4 + 10 pt
Administration & buildings7 + 2 pt
Parks & libraries2 + 7 pt
Roads & transportation5
Health & welfare2 + 3 pt
Sewer & trash0 + 2 pt
Housing & development0 + 1 pt
20
full-time
50
part-time
$137,057
payroll for March 2022
$1.6M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$56,200
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
4
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Sheffield had 6.4 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 27 of the 48 Massachusetts towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 7.3: Sheffield had fewer than 63% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Southern Berkshire School District

Sheffield’s K–12 school district, shared with Alford, Egremont, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Sheffield →
$34,583
per pupil · MA $26,530
614
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $34,583 per pupil, $15,389 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 70%State 25%Federal 5%

Massachusetts districts overall: 49% local, 43% state, 8% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

How Sheffield voted in 2024

Official results for Sheffield’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.

President2,020 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat68.0%1,373 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican28.3%572 votes

Others: 3.7% (75 votes).

Most votes in Sheffield: Kamala D Harris

Berkshire County: Harris 68.6%, Trump 28.8% · Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%

Turnout
72%

of Sheffield’s 2,805 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Massachusetts: 67%.

Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).

U.S. Senate1,985 votes
Elizabeth Ann WarrenDemocrat69.4%
John DeatonRepublican30.6%

Most votes in Sheffield: Elizabeth Ann Warren

Berkshire County: Warren 70.0%, Deaton 29.9% · Massachusetts: Warren 59.8%, Deaton 40.0%

U.S. House · Massachusetts’s 1st District358,058 votes
Richard E NealDemocrat62.4%
Nadia Donya Milleron37.3%
Others0.3%

Most votes in the district: Richard E Neal

Whole-district result

President, 2024: Sheffield, its county and the state

HarrisTrumpOthersVotes
Sheffield68.0%28.3%3.7%2,020
Berkshire County68.6%28.8%2.6%68,674
Massachusetts61.2%36.0%2.8%3,473,668
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Sheffield

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Sheffield.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
  2. 2
    Massachusetts HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Massachusetts SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Massachusetts

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Sheffield compares with the towns next door

Sheffield spent $1,215 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $2,650 to $5,929. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
New Marlborough$2,650$4,689
Egremont$3,262$3,647
Mount Washington$5,929 runs schools$3,316
Sheffield$1,215$4,520

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 Sheffield’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Sheffield’s government

How much does Sheffield spend per resident?

About $1,215 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 $1,215 was less than 73% of 48 Massachusetts towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Sheffield?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,520 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.10% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.07% across Massachusetts. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see sheffieldma.gov.

Who runs Sheffield’s government?

See sheffieldma.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sheffield yet.

How did Sheffield vote in 2024?

For president, Kamala D Harris 68.0%, Donald J Trump 28.3% (2,020 votes, official results). Berkshire County: Harris 68.6%, Trump 28.8%. Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%.

How many people work for Sheffield?

20 full-time and 50 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $137,057 (about $1.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Sheffield in the state legislature?

State Senate District Berkshire-Hampden-Franklin-Hampshire (Paul Mark) and State House District 3rd Berkshire (Leigh Davis). The House district also covers 17 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Sheffield’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →