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Town of Niagara District School No. 2Town of Niagara District School No. 2 · Photo: Pubdog · Public domain
Town Hall · Niagara

Niagara spent more per resident in 2022 than 94% of similar towns

Niagara’s town government spent $7.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $926 per resident. Water and other utilities ($662,000) are counted separately.

Election Day

Today

General election in New York.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$7.4M
year to December 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$926
In 2022: $926, more than 94% of 321 similar towns
Long-term debt
$1.2M
end of 2022, reported
Town staff, 2022
35
full-time · 45 part-time · March payroll $236,787
Typical tax bill
$3,388
2.32% of home value · NY 1.55%

What stands out about how Niagara is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$926 per resident in 2022: more than 94% of them

Niagara’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($926 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 321 New York towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $458, and the middle half spent $340–$617. Niagara spent more than 94% of them.

Middle half of the group, $340–$617Median $458Niagara

Includes sewer and trash ($1.7 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 →

The group
321

New York towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Niagara itself left out).

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $926 per resident a year, or $2.54 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 23%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 25%From other local governments 25%Interest, fines & other 19%Fees & charges 14%Utility sales 6%Other taxes & licenses 4%From the federal government 4%From the state 2%Sales taxes 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $2.7 million; interest on debt $36,000; payments to other governments $27,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $10.9 million.
About “Other”.27% of Niagara’s day-to-day spending ($2 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Over the years

No trend yet

Niagara reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $3,388 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.32% of the home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

New York$6,582
Wheatfield$5,735
Lewiston$4,983
Niagara$3,388
Niagara Falls$2,786
$3,388
typical bill a year
2.32%
effective rate
$146,200
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Niagara’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 Niagara’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Niagara →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Niagara

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

Check Niagara’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Niagara yet.
Who works for Niagara

One full-time town employee for every 229 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 (8,000).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Police8 + 13 pt
Administration & buildings5 + 18 pt
Roads & transportation9
Water & other utilities6 + 1 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections0 + 10 pt
Parks & libraries2 + 3 pt
Sewer & trash3
Other2
35
full-time
45
part-time
$236,787
payroll for March 2022
$2.8M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$65,100
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
7
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Niagara had 4.4 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 250 of the 321 New York towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 2.2: Niagara had more than 90% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Niagara-Wheatfield Central School District

Niagara’s K–12 school district, shared with Wheatfield. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Niagara →
$24,158
per pupil · NY $34,607
3,271
students
$26 million
long-term debt

Of the $24,158 per pupil, $15,991 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 41%State 53%Federal 6%

New York districts overall: 51% local, 41% state, 8% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

How Niagara voted in 2024

Official results for Niagara’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.

President3,419 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican61.4%2,099 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat38.1%1,302 votes

Others: 0.5% (18 votes).

Most votes in Niagara: Donald J Trump

Niagara County: Trump 57.0%, Harris 42.2% · New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%

Turnout
55%

of Niagara’s 6,271 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across New York: 59%.

Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).

U.S. Senate3,243 votes
Michael D SapraiconeRepublican57.7%
Kirsten E GillibrandDemocrat42.1%
Others0.3%

Most votes in Niagara: Michael D Sapraicone

Niagara County: Sapraicone 54.4%, Gillibrand 45.1% · New York: Gillibrand 58.8%, Sapraicone 40.5%

U.S. House · New York’s 26th District321,304 votes
Timothy M KennedyDemocrat65.1%
Anthony G MareckiRepublican34.8%
Others0.1%

Most votes in the district: Timothy M Kennedy

Whole-district result

President, 2024: Niagara, its county and the state

TrumpHarrisOthersVotes
Niagara61.4%38.1%0.5%3,419
Niagara County57.0%42.2%0.8%102,918
New York43.3%55.9%0.8%8,262,600
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Niagara

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Niagara.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    New York AssemblyState representatives
  3. 3
    New York SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New York

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Niagara compares with the towns next door

Niagara spent $926 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $543 to $2,568. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Wheatfield$543$5,735
Lewiston$833$4,983
Niagara Falls$2,568$2,786
Niagara$926$3,388

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 Niagara’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Niagara’s government

How much does Niagara spend per resident?

About $926 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 $926 was more than 94% of 321 New York towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Niagara?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,388 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.32% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.

Who runs Niagara’s government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Niagara yet.

How did Niagara vote in 2024?

For president, Donald J Trump 61.4%, Kamala D Harris 38.1% (3,419 votes, official results). Niagara County: Trump 57.0%, Harris 42.2%. New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%.

How many people work for Niagara?

35 full-time and 45 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $236,787 (about $2.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Niagara in the state legislature?

State Senate District 62 (Rob Ortt) and Assembly District 145 (Angelo Morinello). The Assembly district also covers nine other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Niagara’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →