In Portage Lake, 76% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Maine
Portage Lake’s town government spent $618,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,702 per resident.
What stands out about how Portage Lake is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
School Administrative District 32
Portage Lake’s K–12 school district, shared with Ashland, Garfield plantation, Masardis. The schools are run by Portage Lake, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $22,606 per pupil, $12,108 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 $1,702 per resident a year, or $4.66 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Portage Lake runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget.
No comparison or trend for Portage Lake yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Portage Lake’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported 17% of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2024 only (2022 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,721 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.85% 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 Portage Lake’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 Portage Lake’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Portage Lake →
Who’s in charge in Portage Lake
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 363 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 (363).
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.
How Portage Lake voted in 2024
Official results for Portage Lake’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican58.0%156 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat34.6%93 votesOthers: 7.4% (20 votes).
Most votes in Portage Lake: Donald J Trump
Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%
of Portage Lake’s 353 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Maine: 75%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Portage Lake: Angus S King Jr
Maine: Jr 52.1%, Kouzounas 34.6%
President, 2024: Portage Lake, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portage Lake | 58.0% | 34.6% | 7.4% | 269 |
| 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 Portage Lake.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Portage Lake compares with the towns next door
Portage Lake’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. None of its neighbors reported 2022 figures. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Nashville plantation | estimate | $199 |
| Portage Lake | estimate | $1,721 |
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 Portage Lake’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Portage Lake’s government
How much does Portage Lake spend per resident?
About $1,702 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 Portage Lake?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,721 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.85% 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 Portage Lake’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Portage Lake yet.
How did Portage Lake vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 58.0%, Kamala D Harris 34.6% (269 votes, official results). . Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%.
How many people work for Portage Lake?
1 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $9,722 (about $116,664 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Portage Lake in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Sue Bernard) and State House District 1 (Lucien Daigle). The House district also covers 12 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Portage Lake’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 →