Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Wawarsing run?
Wawarsing’s town government spent $8.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $681 per resident. Water and other utilities ($427,000) and the airport ($104,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Wawarsing is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Ellenville Central School District
Wawarsing’s K–12 school district, shared with Ellenville. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $38,701 per pupil, $23,442 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.
Rondout Valley Central School District · $39,231 per pupil
Fallsburg Central School District · $36,186 per pupil
Tri-Valley Central School District · $39,634 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $681 per resident a year, or $1.87 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$663 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns
Wawarsing’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($663 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 83 New York towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $543, and the middle half spent $373–$826. Wawarsing spent more than 64% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Wawarsing itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 2% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Wawarsing 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: $663 · 2024: $681.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,883 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.64% 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 Wawarsing’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 Wawarsing’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wawarsing →
Who’s in charge in Wawarsing
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 231 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (12,468).
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.
How Wawarsing voted in 2024
Official results for Wawarsing’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican51.9%2,583 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat47.5%2,364 votesOthers: 0.7% (34 votes).
Most votes in Wawarsing: Donald J Trump
Ulster County: Harris 58.8%, Trump 40.3% · New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%
of Wawarsing’s 10,139 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across New York: 59%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Wawarsing: Kirsten E Gillibrand
Ulster County: Gillibrand 62.3%, Sapraicone 37.0% · New York: Gillibrand 58.8%, Sapraicone 40.5%
Most votes in the district: Josh Riley
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Wawarsing, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wawarsing | 51.9% | 47.5% | 0.7% | 4,981 |
| Ulster County | 40.3% | 58.8% | 0.8% | 98,534 |
| 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 Wawarsing.
- 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 Wawarsing compares with the towns next door
Wawarsing spent $663 per resident in 2022; the 7 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $375 to $2,337. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Shawangunk | $375 | $7,686 |
| Gardiner | $513 | $8,307 |
| Rochester | $534 | $4,746 |
| Mamakating | $547 | $5,794 |
| Neversink | $1,230 | $3,563 |
| Fallsburg | $1,432 | $5,343 |
| Denning | $2,337 | $3,620 |
| Ellenville | estimate | $4,270 |
| Wawarsing | $663 | $3,883 |
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 Wawarsing’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Wawarsing’s government
How much does Wawarsing spend per resident?
About $681 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 $663 was more than 64% of 83 New York towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Wawarsing?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,883 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.64% 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 Wawarsing’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wawarsing yet.
How did Wawarsing vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 51.9%, Kamala D Harris 47.5% (4,981 votes, official results). Ulster County: Harris 58.8%, Trump 40.3%. New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%.
How many people work for Wawarsing?
54 full-time and 10 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $305,314 (about $3.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Wawarsing in the state legislature?
State Senate District 51 (Peter Oberacker) and Assembly District 101 (Brian Maher). The Assembly district also covers 30 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wawarsing’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 →