Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Bristol run?
Bristol’s town government spent $59 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,666 per resident.
What stands out about how Bristol is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Bristol-Warren Regional School District
Bristol’s K–12 school district, shared with Warren. The schools are run by Bristol, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $20,479 per pupil, $11,601 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.
Rhode Island districts overall: 48% local, 40% state, 13% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $2,666 per resident a year, or $7.30 a day
Schools are part of the town’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 50% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Bristol runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget.
No comparison for Bristol yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample). Bristol’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars), so it has no like-for-like peer figure. It reported 2024; the next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →Day-to-day spending is up 6% since 2023
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bristol reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2023: $2,514 · 2024: $2,666.
full-time in March 2025, up from 132 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 $5,393 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.11% of the home’s value, vs 1.21% across Rhode Island.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bristol’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 Bristol’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bristol →
Who’s in charge in Bristol
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bristol’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on bristolri.gov ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 160 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 (22,128).
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.
How Bristol voted in 2024
Official results for Bristol’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat56.7%6,590 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican40.6%4,721 votesOthers: 2.6% (305 votes).
Most votes in Bristol: Kamala D Harris
Bristol County: Harris 61.6%, Trump 35.5% · Rhode Island: Harris 55.6%, Trump 41.8%
of Bristol’s 18,960 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Rhode Island: 62%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Bristol: Sheldon Whitehouse
Bristol County: Whitehouse 63.9%, Morgan 36.0% · Rhode Island: Whitehouse 59.9%, Morgan 39.8%
Most votes in the district: Gabriel Amo
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Bristol, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol | 56.7% | 40.6% | 2.6% | 11,616 |
| Bristol County | 61.6% | 35.5% | 2.9% | 28,335 |
| Rhode Island | 55.6% | 41.8% | 2.6% | 513,086 |
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 Bristol.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: bristolri.gov ↗
- 2Rhode Island HouseBristol is split between 2 districts
- 3Rhode Island SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Rhode Island
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Bristol compares with the towns next door
Bristol’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $3,359 to $5,230 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Tiverton | $3,359 runs schools | $4,767 |
| Portsmouth | $4,413 runs schools | $6,318 |
| Barrington | $5,230 runs schools | $9,656 |
| Warren | estimate | $5,474 |
| Bristol | estimate | $5,393 |
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 Bristol’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bristol’s government
How much does Bristol spend per resident?
About $2,666 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Bristol?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,393 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.11% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.21% across Rhode Island. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bristolri.gov.
Who runs Bristol’s government?
See bristolri.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bristol yet.
How did Bristol vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 56.7%, Donald J Trump 40.6% (11,616 votes, official results). Bristol County: Harris 61.6%, Trump 35.5%. Rhode Island: Harris 55.6%, Trump 41.8%.
How many people work for Bristol?
138 full-time and 106 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $965,322 (about $11.6M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Bristol in the state legislature?
Bristol is split among 2 State House districts and 3 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Rhode Island Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bristol’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 →