Photo: n8huckins · CC BY-SA 4.0Mackinac Island spent more per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities
Mackinac Island’s city government spent $7.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2024, about $11,859 per resident. Water and other utilities ($162,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Mackinac Island is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$11,921 per resident in 2022: more than 100% of them
Mackinac Island’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($11,921 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. Mackinac Island spent more than 100% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.2 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Mackinac Island itself left out).
About $11,859 per resident a year, or $32.49 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 41%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 24% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Mackinac Island 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: $11,921 · 2024: $11,859. Per resident it went from $11,921 to $11,859 (down 1%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 478 to 595.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $6,667 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.91% 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 Mackinac Island’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 Mackinac Island’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Mackinac Island →
Who’s in charge in Mackinac Island
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Mackinac Island’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofmi.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 23 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (595).
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.
Mackinac Island Public Schools
Mackinac Island’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $38,785 per pupil, $23,585 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.
Mackinac Island’s votes are counted by county
Michigan reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Mackinac Island alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Mackinac County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican61.8%4,476 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat37.0%2,675 votesOthers: 1.2% (87 votes).
Most votes in Mackinac County: Donald J Trump
Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%
100% of Mackinac Island lies in Mackinac County. Every 2024 race in Mackinac County is on the county’s page.
Mackinac 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 Mackinac Island.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofmi.org ↗
- 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 Mackinac Island compares with the towns next door
Mackinac Island spent $11,921 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. Ignace Township | $275 | $1,495 |
| Bois Blanc Township | $4,637 | $2,600 |
| Mackinac Island | $11,921 | $6,667 |
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 Mackinac Island’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Mackinac Island’s government
How much does Mackinac Island spend per resident?
About $11,859 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $11,921 was more than 100% of 291 Michigan cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Mackinac Island?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $6,667 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.91% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofmi.org.
Who runs Mackinac Island’s government?
See cityofmi.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Mackinac Island yet.
How did Mackinac Island vote in 2024?
Michigan counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Mackinac Island alone. Mackinac County, where 100% of Mackinac Island lies, voted Trump 61.8%, Harris 37.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Mackinac Island?
26 full-time and 39 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $114,033 (about $1.4M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Mackinac Island in the state legislature?
State Senate District 37 (John Damoose) and State House District 107 (Parker Fairbairn). The House district also covers 57 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Mackinac Island’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 →