Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Sault Ste. Marie run?
Sault Ste. Marie’s city government spent $27.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,031 per resident.
What stands out about how Sault Ste. Marie is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools
Sault Ste. Marie’s K–12 school district, shared with Soo Township, Sugar Island Township, Bruce Township, Dafter Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,581 per pupil, $7,776 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.
About $2,031 per resident a year, or $5.56 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,996 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Sault Ste. Marie’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,996 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 44 Michigan cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,874, and the middle half spent $1,414–$2,467. Sault Ste. Marie spent more than 57% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($6.1 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Sault Ste. Marie itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 2% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Sault Ste. Marie 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: $1,996 · 2023: $1,911 · 2024: $2,031.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,538 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.82% 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 Sault Ste. Marie’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 Sault Ste. Marie’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sault Ste. Marie →
Who’s in charge in Sault Ste. Marie
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Sault Ste. Marie’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on saultcity.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 122 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 (13,333).
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.
How Sault Ste. Marie voted in 2024
Official results for Sault Ste. Marie’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican52.9%3,182 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat44.8%2,695 votesOthers: 2.3% (138 votes).
Most votes in Sault Ste. Marie: Donald J Trump
Chippewa County: Trump 61.3%, Harris 37.0% · Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%
of Sault Ste. Marie’s 10,646 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Michigan: 74%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Mike RogersRepublican51.0%
Elissa SlotkinDemocrat44.9%Most votes in Sault Ste. Marie: Mike Rogers
Chippewa County: Rogers 59.7%, Slotkin 37.1% · Michigan: Slotkin 48.6%, Rogers 48.3%
Most votes in the district: Jack Bergman
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Sault Ste. Marie, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sault Ste. Marie | 52.9% | 44.8% | 2.3% | 6,015 |
| Chippewa County | 61.3% | 37.0% | 1.7% | 18,365 |
| Michigan | 49.7% | 48.3% | 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 Sault Ste. Marie.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: saultcity.com ↗
- 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 Sault Ste. Marie compares with the towns next door
Sault Ste. Marie spent $1,996 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $215. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Soo Township | $215 | $2,032 |
| Sugar Island Township | estimate | $1,950 |
| Sault Ste. Marie | $1,996 | $2,538 |
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 Sault Ste. Marie’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Sault Ste. Marie’s government
How much does Sault Ste. Marie spend per resident?
About $2,031 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 $1,996 was more than 57% of 44 Michigan cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Sault Ste. Marie?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,538 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.82% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see saultcity.com.
Who runs Sault Ste. Marie’s government?
See saultcity.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sault Ste. Marie yet.
How did Sault Ste. Marie vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 52.9%, Kamala D Harris 44.8% (6,015 votes, official results). Chippewa County: Trump 61.3%, Harris 37.0%. Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%.
How many people work for Sault Ste. Marie?
109 full-time and 29 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $677,881 (about $8.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie’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 →