Elk Rapids spent more per resident in 2022 than 84% of similar cities
Elk Rapids’ village government spent $4.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to February 28, 2024, about $2,989 per resident. Water and other utilities ($444,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Elk Rapids is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
$2,253 per resident in 2022: more than 84% of them
Elk Rapids’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,253 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 291 Michigan cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,078, and the middle half spent $748–$1,622. Elk Rapids spent more than 84% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($781,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Michigan cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Elk Rapids itself left out).
About $2,989 per resident a year, or $8.19 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 19%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 29% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Elk Rapids 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: $2,253 · 2024: $2,989.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,540 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.90% 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 Elk Rapids’ 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 Elk Rapids’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Elk Rapids →
Who’s in charge in Elk Rapids
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 69 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 (1,584).
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.
Elk Rapids Schools
Elk Rapids’ K–12 school district, shared with Elk Rapids Township, Milton Township, Whitewater Township, Torch Lake Township, Acme Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,921 per pupil, $8,146 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Elk Rapids’ votes are counted by county
Michigan reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Elk Rapids alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Antrim County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican61.3%10,341 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat37.5%6,330 votesOthers: 1.3% (212 votes).
Most votes in Antrim County: Donald J Trump
Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%
100% of Elk Rapids lies in Antrim County. Every 2024 race in Antrim County is on the county’s page.
Antrim County’s 2024 results →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 Elk Rapids.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Elk Rapids compares with the towns next door
Elk Rapids spent $2,253 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Elk Rapids Township | $416 | $3,261 |
| Elk Rapids | $2,253 | $3,540 |
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 Elk Rapids’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Elk Rapids’ government
How much does Elk Rapids spend per resident?
About $2,989 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to February 28, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,253 was more than 84% of 291 Michigan cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Elk Rapids?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,540 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.90% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the village’s assessor.
Who runs Elk Rapids’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Elk Rapids yet.
How did Elk Rapids vote in 2024?
Michigan counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Elk Rapids alone. Antrim County, where 100% of Elk Rapids lies, voted Trump 61.3%, Harris 37.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Elk Rapids?
23 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $116,013 (about $1.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Elk Rapids in the state legislature?
State Senate District 37 (John Damoose) and State House District 104 (J.R. Roth). The House district also covers 69 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Elk Rapids’ 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 →