Stillwater Bridge · Photo: Antepenultimate · CC BY-SA 4.0In Orwell, 82% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across New York
Orwell’s town government spent $1.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,294 per resident. Water and other utilities ($31,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Orwell is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$974 per resident in 2022: more than 76% of them
Orwell’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($974 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 368 New York towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $662, and the middle half spent $490–$958. Orwell spent more than 76% of 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Orwell itself left out).
About $1,294 per resident a year, or $3.55 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 55%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 23% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Orwell 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: $974 · 2023: $1,294. Per resident it went from $974 to $1,294 (up 33%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,161 to 1,072.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,324 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.07% 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 Orwell’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 Orwell’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Orwell →
Who’s in charge in Orwell
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 214 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (1,072).
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.
Sandy Creek Central School District
Orwell’s K–12 school district, shared with Lacona, Redfield, Sandy Creek, Boylston, Sandy Creek. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $29,571 per pupil, $18,725 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.
Altmar-Parish-Williamstown Central School District · $33,522 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Orwell voted in 2024
Official results for Orwell’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican72.0%396 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat26.0%143 votesOthers: 2.0% (11 votes).
Most votes in Orwell: Donald J Trump
Oswego County: Trump 61.3%, Harris 37.4% · New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%
of Orwell’s 671 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across New York: 59%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Orwell: Michael D Sapraicone
Oswego County: Sapraicone 57.1%, Gillibrand 38.5% · New York: Gillibrand 58.8%, Sapraicone 40.5%
Most votes in the district: Claudia Tenney
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Orwell, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orwell | 72.0% | 26.0% | 2.0% | 550 |
| Oswego County | 61.3% | 37.4% | 1.2% | 54,712 |
| New York | 43.3% | 55.9% | 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 Orwell.
- 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 Orwell compares with the towns next door
Orwell spent $974 per resident in 2022; the 6 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $345 to $1,395. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Albion | $345 | $2,581 |
| Richland | $452 | $4,115 |
| Sandy Creek | $575 | $3,179 |
| Williamstown | $754 | $2,121 |
| Boylston | $854 | $2,500 |
| Redfield | $1,395 | $2,448 |
| Orwell | $974 | $2,324 |
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 Orwell’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Orwell’s government
How much does Orwell spend per resident?
About $1,294 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $974 was more than 76% of 368 New York towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Orwell?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,324 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.07% 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 Orwell’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Orwell yet.
How did Orwell vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 72.0%, Kamala D Harris 26.0% (550 votes, official results). Oswego County: Trump 61.3%, Harris 37.4%. New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%.
How many people work for Orwell?
5 full-time and 26 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $41,122 (about $493,464 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Orwell in the state legislature?
State Senate District 49 (Mark Walczyk) and Assembly District 120 (Will Barclay). The Assembly district also covers 44 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Orwell’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 →