Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0In Saco, 76% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Maine
Saco’s city government spent $66.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $3,178 per resident.
What stands out about how Saco is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Saco Public Schools
Saco’s elementary school district. The schools are run by Saco, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $13,905 per pupil, $8,160 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 $3,178 per resident a year, or $8.71 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 81% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Saco collects property taxes for the school district and county and passes them on, so only its own spending is counted.
Saco runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget.
No comparison for Saco yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample). Saco’s 2022 operating figures are mostly a Census estimate, so it has no like-for-like peer figure. It reported 2024; the next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →Day-to-day spending is down 12% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Saco reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $3,764 · 2023: $3,905 · 2024: $3,178.
full-time in March 2025, up from 572 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,807 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.16% 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 Saco’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 Saco’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Saco →
Who’s in charge in Saco
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Saco’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on sacomaine.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 28 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 (20,872).
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.
How Saco voted in 2024
Official results for Saco’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat62.1%7,944 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican35.9%4,585 votesOthers: 2.0% (255 votes).
Most votes in Saco: Kamala D Harris
Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%
of Saco’s 16,741 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Maine: 75%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Saco: Angus S King Jr
Maine: Jr 52.1%, Kouzounas 34.6%
President, 2024: Saco, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saco | 62.1% | 35.9% | 2.0% | 12,784 |
| 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 Saco.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: sacomaine.org ↗
- 2Maine HouseSaco is split between 3 districts
- 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 Saco compares with the towns next door
Saco’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $912 to $4,649 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Buxton | $912 | $3,422 |
| Old Orchard Beach | $1,535 | $3,426 |
| Biddeford | $3,481 runs schools | $4,401 |
| Scarborough | $4,649 runs schools | $5,978 |
| Dayton | estimate | $3,872 |
| Saco | estimate | $4,807 |
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 Saco’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Saco’s government
How much does Saco spend per resident?
About $3,178 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 Saco?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,807 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.16% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Maine. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see sacomaine.org.
Who runs Saco’s government?
See sacomaine.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Saco yet.
How did Saco vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 62.1%, Donald J Trump 35.9% (12,784 votes, official results). . Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%.
How many people work for Saco?
758 full-time and 198 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.5M (about $41.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Saco in the state legislature?
Saco is split among 3 State House districts, so your address decides. The Maine Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 31 (Donna Bailey). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Saco’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 →