Photo: Mwanner at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Saranac Lake run?
Saranac Lake’s village government spent $5.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to May 31, 2022, about $1,144 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Saranac Lake is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $1,144 per resident a year, or $3.13 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,144 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Saranac Lake’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,144 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 155 New York cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $968, and the middle half spent $744–$1,354. Saranac Lake spent more than 63% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.5 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 cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Saranac Lake itself left out).
No trend yet
Saranac Lake reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $4,285 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.14% 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 Saranac Lake’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 Saranac Lake’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Saranac Lake →
Who’s in charge in Saranac Lake
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 108 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 (5,193).
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.
Saranac Lake Central School District
Saranac Lake’s K–12 school district, shared with Harrietstown, St. Armand, Brighton, Franklin, Santa Clara. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $32,834 per pupil, $20,995 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Saranac Lake’s votes are counted by county
New York reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Saranac Lake alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Franklin County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican54.3%10,569 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat45.3%8,821 votesOthers: 0.3% (68 votes).
Most votes in Franklin County: Donald J Trump
New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%
72% of Saranac Lake lies in Franklin County; the rest in Essex County. Every 2024 race in Franklin County is on the county’s page.
Franklin County’s 2024 results →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 Saranac Lake.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal 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 Saranac Lake compares with the towns next door
Saranac Lake spent $1,144 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Harrietstown | $445 | $3,950 |
| St. Armand | $747 | $3,789 |
| North Elba | $879 | $5,315 |
| Saranac Lake | $1,144 | $4,285 |
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 Saranac Lake’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Saranac Lake’s government
How much does Saranac Lake spend per resident?
About $1,144 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to May 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,144 was more than 63% of 155 New York cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Saranac Lake?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,285 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.14% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the village’s assessor.
Who runs Saranac Lake’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Saranac Lake yet.
How did Saranac Lake vote in 2024?
New York counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Saranac Lake alone. Franklin County, where 72% of Saranac Lake lies, voted Trump 54.3%, Harris 45.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Saranac Lake?
48 full-time and 17 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $279,968 (about $3.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Saranac Lake in the state legislature?
State Senate District 45 (Dan Stec) and Assembly District 115 (Michael Cashman). The Assembly district also covers 48 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Saranac Lake’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 →