Photo: Jared Kofsky/PlaceNJ.com · CC BY-SA 3.0Highlands spent less per resident in 2022 than 70% of similar towns
Highlands’ town government spent $5.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $419 per resident. Water and other utilities ($402,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Highlands is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$419 per resident in 2022: less than 70% of them
Highlands’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($419 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 83 New York towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $547, and the middle half spent $373–$826. Highlands spent less than 70% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($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 →
New York towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Highlands itself left out).
About $419 per resident a year, or $1.15 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Highlands reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
Typical bills top $10,000 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Highlands’ 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 Highlands’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Highlands →
Who’s in charge in Highlands
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 554 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 (12,189).
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.
Highland Falls Central School District
Highlands’ K–12 school district, shared with Highland Falls. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $36,789 per pupil, $22,022 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.
Haverstraw-Stony Point Central School District (North Rockland) · $31,599 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Highlands voted in 2024
Official results for Highlands’ own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat53.4%1,505 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican46.2%1,303 votesOthers: 0.4% (11 votes).
Most votes in Highlands: Kamala D Harris
Orange County: Trump 54.0%, Harris 45.7% · New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%
of Highlands’ 9,347 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across New York: 59%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Highlands: Kirsten E Gillibrand
Orange County: Gillibrand 52.9%, Sapraicone 46.5% · New York: Gillibrand 58.8%, Sapraicone 40.5%
Most votes in the district: Pat Ryan
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Highlands, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands | 53.4% | 46.2% | 0.4% | 2,819 |
| Orange County | 45.7% | 54.0% | 0.3% | 175,660 |
| New York | 55.9% | 43.3% | 0.8% | 8,262,600 |
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 Highlands.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2New York AssemblyState representatives
- 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 Highlands compares with the towns next door
Highlands spent $419 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $799 to $1,361. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Woodbury | $799 | $10,000+ |
| Cornwall | $812 | $10,000+ |
| Woodbury | $1,004 | $10,000+ |
| Stony Point | $1,361 | $10,000+ |
| Philipstown | estimate | $10,000+ |
| Highlands | $419 | $10,000+ |
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 Highlands’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Highlands’ government
How much does Highlands spend per resident?
About $419 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $419 was less than 70% of 83 New York towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Highlands’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Highlands yet.
How did Highlands vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 53.4%, Donald J Trump 46.2% (2,819 votes, official results). Orange County: Trump 54.0%, Harris 45.7%. New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%.
How many people work for Highlands?
22 full-time and 48 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $197,659 (about $2.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Highlands in the state legislature?
State Senate District 42 (James Skoufis) and Assembly District 99 (Chris Eachus). The Assembly district also covers 12 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Highlands’ 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 →