Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Caribou runs its own hospital
Caribou’s city government spent $9.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,281 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Caribou didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Caribou is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,281 per resident a year, or $3.51 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: fire, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Caribou didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Caribou yet
Every year of Caribou’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), down from 65 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $1,680 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.25% 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 Caribou’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 Caribou’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Caribou →
Who’s in charge in Caribou
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Caribou’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cariboumaine.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 126 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
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 (7,441).
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.
Regional School Unit 39
Caribou’s K–12 school district, shared with Stockholm. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,735 per pupil, $9,794 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.
How Caribou voted in 2024
Official results for Caribou’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.3%2,336 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.4%1,553 votesOthers: 1.3% (50 votes).
Most votes in Caribou: Donald J Trump
Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%
of Caribou’s 6,089 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Maine: 75%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
President, 2024: Caribou, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caribou | 59.3% | 39.4% | 1.3% | 3,939 |
| Maine | 45.5% | 52.4% | 2.1% | 831,375 |
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 Caribou.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cariboumaine.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 Caribou compares with the towns next door
Caribou’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 4 of the 4 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $1,362 to $2,502 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Presque Isle | $1,362 | $2,401 |
| Fort Fairfield | $1,528 | $1,838 |
| Limestone | $2,470 runs schools | $1,332 |
| Woodland | $2,502 runs schools | $1,807 |
| Caribou | estimate | $1,680 |
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 Caribou’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Caribou’s government
How much does Caribou spend per resident?
About $1,281 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Caribou didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $78.9 million.
What is the property tax rate in Caribou?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,680 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.25% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Maine. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cariboumaine.org.
Who runs Caribou’s government?
See cariboumaine.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Caribou yet.
How did Caribou vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 59.3%, Kamala D Harris 39.4% (3,939 votes, official results). . Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%.
How many people work for Caribou?
59 full-time and 173 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 343 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $3.0M (about $36.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Caribou in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Sue Bernard) and State House District 4 (Timmy Guerrette). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Caribou’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 (for Caribou, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →