Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Riverhead spent more per resident in 2022 than 97% of similar towns
Riverhead’s town government spent $74.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,071 per resident. Water and other utilities ($5.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Riverhead is run
Read from the town’s budget, meetings and official records.
6 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Riverhead’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov3Pre-Submission ConferencesTuesday · 9:30 amAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov5Town Board Work SessionThursday · 10:00 am · Riverhead Town Hall, 4 West Second StreetMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov5Town BoardThursday · 2:00 pm · Riverhead Town Hall, 4 West Second StreetTown Board MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov5Planning BoardThursday · 6:00 pm · Riverhead Town Hall, 4 West Second StreetPlanning Board MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov10Pre-Submission ConferencesTuesday · 9:30 amMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov12Town Board Work SessionThursday · 10:00 am · Riverhead Town Hall, 4 West Second StreetMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Oct29Town Board Work SessionThursday · 10:00 am · Riverhead Town Hall, 4 West Second StreetAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct28Architectural Review BoardWednesday · 4:00 pm · 4 W Second StreetAgenda ↗Minutes ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct27Pre-Submission ConferencesTuesday · 9:30 amAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct22Zoning Board of AppealsThursday · 6:00 pmAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct22Town Board Work SessionThursday · 10:00 am · Riverhead Town Hall, 4 West Second StreetAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $2,071 per resident a year, or $5.67 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$2,029 per resident in 2022: more than 97% of them
Riverhead’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,029 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 38 New York towns and townships of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $661, and the middle half spent $522–$951. Riverhead spent more than 97% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($13.5 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 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Riverhead itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 9% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Riverhead 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: $2,029 · 2024: $2,071. Per resident it went from $2,029 to $2,071 (up 2%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 33,434 to 35,834.
full-time in March 2025, up from 294 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.
The typical homeowner pays $8,423 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.73% 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 Riverhead’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 Riverhead’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Riverhead →
Who’s in charge in Riverhead
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 120 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (35,834).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Riverhead Central School District
Riverhead’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $30,669 per pupil, $20,720 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.
Shoreham-Wading River Central School District · $38,015 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Riverhead voted in 2024
Official results for Riverhead’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican57.0%10,122 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat42.3%7,505 votesOthers: 0.7% (127 votes).
Most votes in Riverhead: Donald J Trump
Suffolk County: Trump 54.3%, Harris 44.4% · New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%
of Riverhead’s 27,584 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across New York: 59%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Riverhead: Michael D Sapraicone
Suffolk County: Sapraicone 52.5%, Gillibrand 47.1% · New York: Gillibrand 58.8%, Sapraicone 40.5%
Most votes in the district: Nicholas J Lalota
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Riverhead, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverhead | 57.0% | 42.3% | 0.7% | 17,754 |
| Suffolk County | 54.3% | 44.4% | 1.3% | 769,435 |
| 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 Riverhead.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: townofriverheadny.com ↗
- 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 Riverhead compares with the towns next door
Riverhead spent $2,029 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $499 to $2,016. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Brookhaven | $499 | $10,000+ |
| Southampton | $1,778 | $7,476 |
| Southold | $2,016 | $7,797 |
| Riverhead | $2,029 | $8,423 |
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 Riverhead’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Riverhead’s government
How much does Riverhead spend per resident?
About $2,071 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,029 was more than 97% of 38 New York towns and townships of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Riverhead?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $8,423 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.73% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see townofriverheadny.com.
Who runs Riverhead’s government?
See townofriverheadny.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Riverhead yet.
How did Riverhead vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 57.0%, Kamala D Harris 42.3% (17,754 votes, official results). Suffolk County: Trump 54.3%, Harris 44.4%. New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%.
How many people work for Riverhead?
299 full-time and 49 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.9M (about $35.3M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Riverhead in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Tony Palumbo) and Assembly District 2 (Jodi Giglio). The Assembly district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Riverhead?
The next posted meeting is Pre-Submission Conferences on Tuesday, November 3, at 9:30 am, from the town’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Riverhead’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 →