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Berwick High SchoolBerwick High School · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Berwick

How is Berwick run?

Berwick’s town government spent $7.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $952 per resident. Water and other utilities ($734,000) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Maine.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2023
$7.7M
year to June 30, 2023
Per resident, 2023
$952
In 2022: $921, more than 60% of 67 similar towns
Long-term debt
$7.9M
end of FY2023, reported
Town staff, 2025
32
full-time · 30 part-time · March payroll $242,385
Typical tax bill
$4,436
1.20% of home value · ME 1.02%

What stands out about how Berwick is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

The school district

School Administrative District 60

Berwick’s K–12 school district, shared with Lebanon, North Berwick. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Berwick →
$19,210
per pupil · ME $20,630
2,846
students
$55,000
long-term debt

Of the $19,210 per pupil, $9,891 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 44%State 47%Federal 9%

Maine districts overall: 52% local, 40% state, 8% federal.

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

Your share of the 2023 budget

About $952 per resident a year, or $2.61 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 46%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 59%From the state 23%Interest, fines & other 9%Utility sales 6%Fees & charges 3%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $198,000; interest on debt $239,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $8.9 million.
Compared with similar places

$921 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns

Berwick’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($921 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 67 Maine towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $834, and the middle half spent $606–$1,102. Berwick spent more than 60% of them.

Middle half of the group, $606–$1,102Median $834Berwick

Includes sewer and trash ($23,000), 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
67

Maine towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Berwick itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 4% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Berwick reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$7.4 million
2023$7.7 million

Per resident: 2022: $921 · 2023: $952.

Town staff
32

full-time in March 2025, down from 42 in 2022.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $4,436 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.20% of the home’s value, vs 1.02% across Maine.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Rollinsford$6,851
Somersworth$6,805
Rochester$5,334
South Berwick$4,956
Berwick$4,436
North Berwick$3,735
Maine$3,036
Lebanon$2,784
$4,436
typical bill a year
1.20%
effective rate
$369,100
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Berwick

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

See berwickmaine.org for Berwick’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Berwick yet.berwickmaine.org ↗
Agendas

Berwick’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on berwickmaine.org ↗.

Who works for Berwick

One full-time town employee for every 252 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (8,079).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Fire8 + 20 pt
Police12 + 4 pt
Roads & transportation7 + 1 pt
Parks & libraries4 + 4 pt
Administration & buildings1 + 1 pt
32
full-time
30
part-time
$242,385
payroll for March 2025
$2.9M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$82,600
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
11
sworn police officers
7
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Berwick had 5.3 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 57 of the 67 Maine towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 3.9: Berwick had more than 60% 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.

Elections · 2024 general election

How Berwick voted in 2024

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

President4,658 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican52.1%2,429 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat45.7%2,131 votes

Others: 2.1% (98 votes).

Most votes in Berwick: Donald J Trump

Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%

Turnout
74%

of Berwick’s 6,265 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Maine: 75%.

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

U.S. Senate4,549 votes
Demi KouzounasRepublican42.1%
Angus S King Jr37.9%
Others20.0%

Most votes in Berwick: Demi Kouzounas

Maine: Jr 52.1%, Kouzounas 34.6%

President, 2024: Berwick, its county and the state

TrumpHarrisOthersVotes
Berwick52.1%45.7%2.1%4,658
Maine45.5%52.4%2.1%831,375
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 Berwick

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Berwick.

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

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

Next door

How Berwick compares with the towns next door

Berwick spent $921 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $763. 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
South Berwick$763$4,956
North Berwickestimate$3,735
Lebanonestimate$2,784
Berwick$921$4,436

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 Berwick’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Berwick’s government

How much does Berwick spend per resident?

About $952 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $921 was more than 60% of 67 Maine towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Berwick?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,436 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.20% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Maine. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see berwickmaine.org.

Who runs Berwick’s government?

See berwickmaine.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Berwick yet.

How did Berwick vote in 2024?

For president, Donald J Trump 52.1%, Kamala D Harris 45.7% (4,658 votes, official results). . Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%.

How many people work for Berwick?

32 full-time and 30 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $242,385 (about $2.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Berwick in the state legislature?

State Senate District 34 (Joe Rafferty) and State House District 148 (Thomas Lavigne). The House district also covers parts of 1 neighboring town. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Berwick’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 →