Photo: HELVETIQ · CC BY 2.0How is Bristol run?
Bristol’s town government spent $8 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,722 per resident.
What stands out about how Bristol is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Bristol
Bristol’s elementary school district. The schools are run by Bristol, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $15,667 per pupil, $7,704 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.
Maine districts overall: 52% local, 40% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $2,722 per resident a year, or $7.46 a day
Schools are part of the town’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 69% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Bristol runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget.
No comparison for Bristol yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample). Bristol’s 2022 operating figures are mostly a Census estimate, so it has no like-for-like peer figure. It reported 2024; the next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →Day-to-day spending is up 14% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bristol 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: $2,507 · 2024: $2,722. Per resident it went from $2,507 to $2,722 (up 9%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 2,796 to 2,938.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,668 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.66% of the home’s value, vs 1.02% across Maine.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bristol’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 Bristol’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bristol →
Who’s in charge in Bristol
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bristol’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on bristolmaine.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 60 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 (2,938).
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.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Bristol.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: bristolmaine.org ↗
- 2Maine HouseState representatives
- 3Maine SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Maine
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Bristol compares with the towns next door
Bristol’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $933 to $3,159 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Friendship | $933 | $2,218 |
| Bremen | $1,543 runs schools | $2,829 |
| Damariscotta | $1,747 runs schools | $3,806 |
| St. George | $3,159 runs schools | $3,359 |
| South Bristol | estimate | $1,675 |
| Newcastle | estimate | $4,256 |
| Monhegan plantation | estimate | $2,875 |
| Bristol | estimate | $2,668 |
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 Bristol’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bristol’s government
How much does Bristol spend per resident?
About $2,722 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Bristol?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,668 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.66% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Maine. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bristolmaine.org.
Who runs Bristol’s government?
See bristolmaine.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bristol yet.
How many people work for Bristol?
49 full-time and 20 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $227,930 (about $2.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bristol in the state legislature?
State Senate District 13 (Cameron Reny) and State House District 46 (Lydia Crafts). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bristol’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 →