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Poughkeepsie, NY with evening balloon take-off-cropPhoto: Juliancolton · Public domain
Town Hall · Poughkeepsie

Poughkeepsie spent more per resident in 2022 than 78% of similar cities

Poughkeepsie’s city government spent $69.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $2,172 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.5 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Next public meeting

Common Council

5:30 pm · 62 Civic Center Plaza

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2023
$69.2M
year to December 31, 2023
Per resident, 2023
$2,172
In 2022: $2,095, more than 78% of 18 similar cities
Long-term debt
$41.0M
end of 2023, reported
City staff, 2025
310
full-time · 15 part-time · March payroll $2.8M
Typical tax bill
$5,718
2.02% of home value · NY 1.55%

What stands out about how Poughkeepsie is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends more than most similar citiesIn 2022: $2,095 per resident, more than 78% of 18 similar cities.Its own police and fire80 sworn officers and 69 full-time firefighters on the payroll.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Poughkeepsie’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2023 budget

About $2,172 per resident a year, or $5.95 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 23%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 29%From other local governments 19%From the federal government 15%Fees & charges 14%From the state 8%Utility sales 8%Interest, fines & other 3%Other taxes & licenses 2%Sales taxes 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $8.6 million; interest on debt $3.3 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $84.5 million.
About “Other”.42% of Poughkeepsie’s day-to-day spending ($29.3 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places

$2,095 per resident in 2022: more than 78% of them

Poughkeepsie’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,095 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 18 New York cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,542, and the middle half spent $1,249–$1,925. Poughkeepsie spent more than 78% of them.

Middle half of the group, $1,249–$1,925Median $1,542Poughkeepsie

Includes sewer and trash ($6.2 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
18

New York cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Poughkeepsie itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 8% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Poughkeepsie reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$63.8 million
2023$69.2 million

Per resident: 2022: $2,095 · 2023: $2,172.

City staff
310

full-time in March 2025, up from 307 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $5,718 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.02% of the home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Lloyd$8,750
Vassar College$8,625
Fairview$7,496
Arlington$7,250
New York$6,582
Poughkeepsie$5,718
$5,718
typical bill a year
2.02%
effective rate
$283,700
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Poughkeepsie

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

See cityofpoughkeepsie.com for Poughkeepsie’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Poughkeepsie yet.cityofpoughkeepsie.com ↗
Who works for Poughkeepsie

One full-time city employee for every 103 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (31,850).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Police106 + 13 pt
Fire70
Administration & buildings38 + 1 pt
Housing & development31 + 1 pt
Sewer & trash20
Water & other utilities18
Roads & transportation13
Parks & libraries9
Courts, inspections & corrections5
310
full-time
15
part-time
$2.8M
payroll for March 2025
$33.1M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$106,200
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
80
sworn police officers
69
full-time firefighters
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Poughkeepsie’s 2022 budget was a Census estimate, so there is no group to compare with.

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

Poughkeepsie City School District

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

Schools in Poughkeepsie →
$31,773
per pupil · NY $34,607
3,880
students
$37.1 million
long-term debt

Of the $31,773 per pupil, $19,824 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 24%State 63%Federal 13%

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

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Poughkeepsie’s votes are counted by county

New York reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Poughkeepsie alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Dutchess County’s results.

President · Dutchess County’s results153,412 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat52.1%79,994 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican46.8%71,777 votes

Others: 1.1% (1,641 votes).

Most votes in Dutchess County: Kamala D Harris

New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%

The county’s page

100% of Poughkeepsie lies in Dutchess County. Every 2024 race in Dutchess County is on the county’s page.

Dutchess County’s 2024 results →
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 Poughkeepsie

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Poughkeepsie.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: cityofpoughkeepsie.com ↗
  2. 2
    New York AssemblyState representatives
    Jonathan Jacobson
  3. 3
    New York SenateState senator
    Rob Rolison
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Kathy Hochul
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Patrick Ryan
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New York
    Charles E. SchumerKirsten E. Gillibrand

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

Next door

How Poughkeepsie compares with the towns next door

Poughkeepsie spent $2,095 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Fairview: unincorporated, no town budgetLloyd: no reported 2022 figuresArlington: unincorporated, no town budgetVassar College: unincorporated, no town budgetFairviewLloydArlingtonVassar CollegePoughkeepsie
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Lloydestimate$8,750
Poughkeepsie$2,095$5,718

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 Poughkeepsie’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitecityofpoughkeepsie.com ↗

Questions about Poughkeepsie’s government

How much does Poughkeepsie spend per resident?

About $2,172 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 $2,095 was more than 78% of 18 New York cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Poughkeepsie?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,718 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.02% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofpoughkeepsie.com.

Who runs Poughkeepsie’s government?

See cityofpoughkeepsie.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Poughkeepsie yet.

How did Poughkeepsie vote in 2024?

New York counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Poughkeepsie alone. Dutchess County, where 100% of Poughkeepsie lies, voted Harris 52.1%, Trump 46.8% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Poughkeepsie?

310 full-time and 15 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.8M (about $33.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Poughkeepsie in the state legislature?

State Senate District 39 (Rob Rolison) and Assembly District 104 (Jonathan Jacobson). The Assembly district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Poughkeepsie?

The next posted meeting is Common Council on Monday, November 2, at 5:30 pm in 62 Civic Center Plaza, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Poughkeepsie’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 →