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Olson HouseOlson House · Photo: Ryan Prescott · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Cushing

Cushing spent more per resident in 2022 than 96% of similar towns

Cushing’s town government spent $4.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $2,955 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau.

Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Maine.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$4.4M
year to December 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$2,955
In 2022: $2,955, more than 96% of 100 similar towns
Long-term debt
Not reported
end of 2022, reported
Town staff, 2022
1
full-time · 49 part-time · March payroll $45,524
Typical tax bill
$3,944
0.96% of home value · ME 1.02%

What stands out about how Cushing is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$2,955 per resident in 2022: more than 96% of them

Cushing’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,955 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 100 Maine towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $748, and the middle half spent $568–$1,134. Cushing spent more than 96% of them.

Middle half of the group, $568–$1,134Median $748Cushing

Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
100

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

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $2,955 per resident a year, or $8.10 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 5%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 90%From the state 8%Interest, fines & other 2%Fees & charges <1%From other local governments <1%Other taxes & licenses <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $34,000; payments to other governments $447,000. With these, the whole budget was $4.9 million.
About “Other”.91% of Cushing’s day-to-day spending ($4 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

Cushing reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2023 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $3,944 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.96% of the home’s value, vs 1.02% across Maine.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Thomaston$4,487
Cushing$3,944
South Thomaston$3,442
St. George$3,359
Maine$3,036
Warren$2,832
Friendship$2,218
$3,944
typical bill a year
0.96%
effective rate
$409,800
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Cushing’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.

Tax bills are one input to Cushing’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Cushing →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Cushing

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

Check Cushing’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Cushing yet.
Who works for Cushing

One full-time town employee for every 1,500 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 (1,500).

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

Fire0 + 26 pt
Administration & buildings1 + 15 pt
Parks & libraries0 + 1 pt
Health & welfare0 + 1 pt
Roads & transportation0 + 1 pt
Other0 + 5 pt
1
full-time
49
part-time
$45,524
payroll for March 2022
$546,288
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$51,000
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Cushing had 0.7 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 74 of the 100 Maine towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 2.4: Cushing had fewer than 82% 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

Regional School Unit 13

Cushing’s K–12 school district, shared with Owls Head, Rockland, South Thomaston, Thomaston. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Cushing →
$24,328
per pupil · ME $20,630
1,501
students
$14 million
long-term debt

Of the $24,328 per pupil, $13,898 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 60%State 22%Federal 18%

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

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

Elections · 2024 general election

How Cushing voted in 2024

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

President1,032 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican54.8%566 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat43.1%445 votes

Others: 2.0% (21 votes).

Most votes in Cushing: Donald J Trump

Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%

Turnout
86%

of Cushing’s 1,207 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Maine: 75%.

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

U.S. Senate1,027 votes
Angus S King Jr48.3%
Demi KouzounasRepublican41.7%
Others10.0%

Most votes in Cushing: Angus S King Jr

Maine: Jr 52.1%, Kouzounas 34.6%

President, 2024: Cushing, its county and the state

TrumpHarrisOthersVotes
Cushing54.8%43.1%2.0%1,032
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 Cushing

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Cushing.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  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 Cushing compares with the towns next door

Cushing spent $2,955 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $444 to $3,159. 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
Warren$444$2,832
Friendship$933$2,218
South Thomaston$1,336$3,442
Thomaston$1,729$4,487
St. George$3,159 runs schools$3,359
Cushing$2,955$3,944

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 Cushing’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Cushing’s government

How much does Cushing spend per resident?

About $2,955 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,955 was more than 96% of 100 Maine towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Cushing?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,944 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.96% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Maine. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.

Who runs Cushing’s government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Cushing yet.

How did Cushing vote in 2024?

For president, Donald J Trump 54.8%, Kamala D Harris 43.1% (1,032 votes, official results). . Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%.

How many people work for Cushing?

1 full-time and 49 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $45,524 (about $546,288 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Cushing in the state legislature?

State Senate District 12 (Pinny Beebe-Center) and State House District 43 (Ann Matlack). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Cushing’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 →