Photo: Pubdog · Public domainHow is Gowanda run?
Gowanda’s village government spent $2.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to May 31, 2022, about $968 per resident. Water and other utilities ($427,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Gowanda is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $968 per resident a year, or $2.65 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$968 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Gowanda’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($968 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 155 New York cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $977, and the middle half spent $744–$1,354. Gowanda spent less than 50% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($792,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
New York cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Gowanda itself left out).
No trend yet
Gowanda reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $2,663 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.76% of the home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Gowanda’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 Gowanda’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Gowanda →
Who’s in charge in Gowanda
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 210 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 (2,524).
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.
Gowanda Central School District
Gowanda’s K–12 school district, shared with Perrysburg, Persia, Collins, Dayton. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $30,368 per pupil, $18,594 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.
New York districts overall: 51% local, 41% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Gowanda’s votes are counted by county
New York reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Gowanda alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cattaraugus County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.0%22,586 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat33.4%11,424 votesOthers: 0.6% (194 votes).
Most votes in Cattaraugus County: Donald J Trump
New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%
70% of Gowanda lies in Cattaraugus County; the rest in Erie County. Every 2024 race in Cattaraugus County is on the county’s page.
Cattaraugus 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 Gowanda.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2New York AssemblyGowanda is split between 2 districts
- 3New York SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New York
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Gowanda compares with the towns next door
Gowanda spent $968 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Persia | $197 | $2,655 |
| Collins | $261 | $2,501 |
| Perrysburg | $664 | $3,380 |
| Gowanda | $968 | $2,663 |
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 Gowanda’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Gowanda’s government
How much does Gowanda spend per resident?
About $968 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to May 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $968 was less than 50% of 155 New York cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Gowanda?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,663 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.76% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the village’s assessor.
Who runs Gowanda’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Gowanda yet.
How did Gowanda vote in 2024?
New York counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Gowanda alone. Cattaraugus County, where 70% of Gowanda lies, voted Trump 66.0%, Harris 33.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Gowanda?
12 full-time and 22 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $84,703 (about $1.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Gowanda in the state legislature?
Gowanda is split among 2 Assembly districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The New York Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Gowanda’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 →