Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5Ontonagon spent more per resident in 2022 than 86% of similar cities
Ontonagon’s village government spent $3 million on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2022, about $2,408 per resident.
What stands out about how Ontonagon is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
$2,408 per resident in 2022: more than 86% of them
Ontonagon’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,408 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. Ontonagon spent more than 86% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($632,000), 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; Ontonagon itself left out).
About $2,408 per resident a year, or $6.60 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Ontonagon reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,205 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.15% 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 Ontonagon’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 Ontonagon’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Ontonagon →
Who’s in charge in Ontonagon
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Ontonagon’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The village posts agendas and minutes on villageofontonagon.org ↗.
One full-time village employee for every 112 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,234).
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.
Ontonagon Area Schools
Ontonagon’s K–12 school district, shared with Carp Lake Township, Greenland Township, Ontonagon Township, Rockland Township, Bohemia Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,396 per pupil, $8,460 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.
Ontonagon’s votes are counted by county
Michigan reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Ontonagon alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Ontonagon County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican64.5%2,479 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat34.2%1,313 votesOthers: 1.3% (49 votes).
Most votes in Ontonagon County: Donald J Trump
Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%
100% of Ontonagon lies in Ontonagon County. Every 2024 race in Ontonagon County is on the county’s page.
Ontonagon 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 Ontonagon.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: villageofontonagon.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 Ontonagon compares with the towns next door
Ontonagon spent $2,408 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ontonagon Township | $262 | $1,300 |
| Ontonagon | $2,408 | $1,205 |
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 Ontonagon’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Ontonagon’s government
How much does Ontonagon spend per resident?
About $2,408 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,408 was more than 86% of 291 Michigan cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Ontonagon?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,205 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.15% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see villageofontonagon.org.
Who runs Ontonagon’s government?
See villageofontonagon.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ontonagon yet.
How did Ontonagon vote in 2024?
Michigan counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Ontonagon alone. Ontonagon County, where 100% of Ontonagon lies, voted Trump 64.5%, Harris 34.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Ontonagon?
11 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $46,499 (about $557,988 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Ontonagon in the state legislature?
State Senate District 38 (Ed McBroom) and State House District 110 (Greg Markkanen). The House district also covers 63 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Ontonagon’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 →