Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Damariscotta spent less per resident in 2022 than 90% of similar towns
Damariscotta’s town government spent $3.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $1,747 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau.
What stands out about how Damariscotta is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$1,747 per resident in 2022: less than 90% of them
Damariscotta’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,747 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 31 Maine towns and townships of under 2,500 that run their own schools: the median was $2,781, and the middle half spent $2,380–$3,830. Damariscotta spent less than 90% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($135,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Maine towns and townships of under 2,500 that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Damariscotta itself left out).
About $1,747 per resident a year, or $4.79 a day
Schools are part of the town’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 37% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Damariscotta collects property taxes for the school district and county and passes them on, so only its own spending is counted.
Damariscotta runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with Maine towns and townships of under 2,500 that run their own schools.
No trend yet
Damariscotta reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2023, 2024 are estimates), so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $3,806 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.05% 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 Damariscotta’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 Damariscotta’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Damariscotta →
Who’s in charge in Damariscotta
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Damariscotta’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on townofdamariscotta.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 216 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (2,158).
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.
Great Salt Bay Community School District
Damariscotta’s elementary school district, shared with Bremen, Newcastle. The schools are run by Damariscotta, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $20,132 per pupil, $11,561 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.
Damariscotta · $1,674 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Damariscotta voted in 2024
Official results for Damariscotta’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat67.1%1,004 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican31.4%469 votesOthers: 1.5% (23 votes).
Most votes in Damariscotta: Kamala D Harris
Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%
of Damariscotta’s 1,725 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Maine: 75%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Damariscotta: Angus S King Jr
Maine: Jr 52.1%, Kouzounas 34.6%
President, 2024: Damariscotta, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damariscotta | 67.1% | 31.4% | 1.5% | 1,496 |
| Maine | 52.4% | 45.5% | 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 Damariscotta.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: townofdamariscotta.com ↗
- 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 Damariscotta compares with the towns next door
Damariscotta spent $1,747 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,543. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
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 Damariscotta’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Damariscotta’s government
How much does Damariscotta spend per resident?
About $1,747 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 $1,747 was less than 90% of 31 Maine towns and townships of under 2,500 that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Damariscotta?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,806 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.05% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Maine. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see townofdamariscotta.com.
Who runs Damariscotta’s government?
See townofdamariscotta.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Damariscotta yet.
How did Damariscotta vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 67.1%, Donald J Trump 31.4% (1,496 votes, official results). . Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%.
How many people work for Damariscotta?
10 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $47,946 (about $575,352 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Damariscotta 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 Damariscotta’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 →