Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0How is Ellsworth run?
Ellsworth’s city government spent $28.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $3,232 per resident.
What stands out about how Ellsworth is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Ellsworth Public Schools
Ellsworth’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Ellsworth, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $20,855 per pupil, $12,221 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 $3,232 per resident a year, or $8.85 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 97% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Ellsworth runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget.
No comparison or trend for Ellsworth yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Ellsworth’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported 26% of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2024 only (2022 and 2023 are estimates), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, up from 375 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $3,262 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.35% 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 Ellsworth’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 Ellsworth’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Ellsworth →
Who’s in charge in Ellsworth
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Ellsworth’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofellsworthme.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 21 residents
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 (8,732).
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.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Ellsworth.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofellsworthme.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 Ellsworth compares with the towns next door
Ellsworth’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $832 to $3,423 per resident. 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 Ellsworth’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Ellsworth’s government
How much does Ellsworth spend per resident?
About $3,232 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Ellsworth?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,262 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.35% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Maine. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofellsworthme.org.
Who runs Ellsworth’s government?
See cityofellsworthme.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ellsworth yet.
How many people work for Ellsworth?
412 full-time and 45 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.2M (about $26.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Ellsworth in the state legislature?
State Senate District 7 (Nicole Grohoski) and State House District 13 (Russ White). The House district also covers 1 neighboring town. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Ellsworth’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 →