Photo: Humbles Art · CC BY-SA 3.0Benton Harbor spent more per resident in 2022 than 75% of similar cities
Benton Harbor’s city government spent $29.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $3,305 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Benton Harbor is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,351 per resident in 2022: more than 75% of them
Benton Harbor’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,351 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 120 Michigan cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,656, and the middle half spent $1,295–$2,381. Benton Harbor spent more than 75% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.4 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Michigan cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Benton Harbor itself left out).
About $3,305 per resident a year, or $9.05 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 18%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 30% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Benton Harbor 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: $2,351 · 2024: $3,305. Per resident it went from $2,351 to $3,305 (up 41%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 9,692 to 8,943.
full-time in March 2025, down from 79 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 $911 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.19% of the home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Benton Harbor’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 Benton Harbor’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Benton Harbor →
Who’s in charge in Benton Harbor
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Benton Harbor’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on bhcity.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 130 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 (8,943).
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.
Benton Harbor Area Schools
Benton Harbor’s K–12 school district, shared with Benton Township, Sodus Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $25,288 per pupil, $10,943 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.
Michigan districts overall: 34% local, 57% state, 9% federal.
St. Joseph Public Schools · $13,601 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Benton Harbor voted in 2024
Official results for Benton Harbor’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat92.1%2,935 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican6.9%220 votesOthers: 1.0% (32 votes).
Most votes in Benton Harbor: Kamala D Harris
Berrien County: Trump 53.2%, Harris 45.4% · Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%
of Benton Harbor’s 6,116 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Michigan: 74%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Elissa SlotkinDemocrat88.8%
Mike RogersRepublican7.8%Most votes in Benton Harbor: Elissa Slotkin
Berrien County: Rogers 53.9%, Slotkin 43.3% · Michigan: Slotkin 48.6%, Rogers 48.3%
Most votes in the district: Bill Huizenga
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Benton Harbor, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Harbor | 92.1% | 6.9% | 1.0% | 3,187 |
| Berrien County | 45.4% | 53.2% | 1.4% | 84,488 |
| Michigan | 48.3% | 49.7% | 2.0% | 5,664,186 |
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; Elissa Slotkin: U.S. House portrait (congress-legislators project); Mike Rogers: U.S. House portrait (congress-legislators project). 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 Benton Harbor.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: bhcity.us ↗
- 2Michigan HouseState representatives
- 3Michigan SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Michigan
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Benton Harbor compares with the towns next door
Benton Harbor spent $2,351 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph Township | $675 | $3,060 |
| Benton Township | $981 | $1,937 |
| St. Joseph | $2,842 | $4,582 |
| Benton Harbor | $2,351 | $911 |
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 Benton Harbor’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Benton Harbor’s government
How much does Benton Harbor spend per resident?
About $3,305 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,351 was more than 75% of 120 Michigan cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Benton Harbor?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $911 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.19% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bhcity.us.
Who runs Benton Harbor’s government?
See bhcity.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Benton Harbor yet.
How did Benton Harbor vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 92.1%, Donald J Trump 6.9% (3,187 votes, official results). Berrien County: Trump 53.2%, Harris 45.4%. Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%.
How many people work for Benton Harbor?
69 full-time and 20 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $414,883 (about $5.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Benton Harbor in the state legislature?
State Senate District 20 (Aric Nesbitt) and State House District 38 (Joey Andrews). The House district also covers 22 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Benton Harbor’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 →