Photo: Pi.1415926535 · CC BY-SA 4.0In Foster, 80% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Rhode Island
Foster’s town government spent $18 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $4,017 per resident.
What stands out about how Foster is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Foster-Glocester Regional School District
Foster’s middle and high school district, shared with Glocester. The schools are run by Foster, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $21,493 per pupil, $12,323 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.
Foster Elementary School District · $27,580 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $4,017 per resident a year, or $11.01 a day
Schools are part of the town’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 68% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Foster runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget.
No comparison for Foster yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample). Foster’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 8% since 2023
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Foster 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: $3,703 · 2024: $4,017.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $7,135 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.68% 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 Foster’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 Foster’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Foster →
Who’s in charge in Foster
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Foster’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on townoffoster.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 73 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (4,468).
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 Foster voted in 2024
Official results for Foster’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.7%1,760 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat37.8%1,113 votesOthers: 2.5% (75 votes).
Most votes in Foster: Donald J Trump
Providence County: Harris 55.7%, Trump 41.7% · Rhode Island: Harris 55.6%, Trump 41.8%
of Foster’s 3,677 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Rhode Island: 62%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Foster: Patricia Morgan
Providence County: Whitehouse 61.3%, Morgan 38.4% · Rhode Island: Whitehouse 59.9%, Morgan 39.8%
Most votes in the district: Seth Magaziner
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Foster, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foster | 59.7% | 37.8% | 2.5% | 2,948 |
| Providence County | 41.7% | 55.7% | 2.6% | 269,679 |
| Rhode Island | 41.8% | 55.6% | 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 Foster.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: townoffoster.com ↗
- 2Rhode Island HouseState representatives
- 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 Foster compares with the towns next door
Foster’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $3,112 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
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 Foster’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Foster’s government
How much does Foster spend per resident?
About $4,017 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 Foster?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $7,135 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.68% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.21% across Rhode Island. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see townoffoster.com.
Who runs Foster’s government?
See townoffoster.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Foster yet.
How did Foster vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 59.7%, Kamala D Harris 37.8% (2,948 votes, official results). Providence County: Harris 55.7%, Trump 41.7%. Rhode Island: Harris 55.6%, Trump 41.8%.
How many people work for Foster?
61 full-time and 28 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $426,292 (about $5.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Foster in the state legislature?
State Senate District 21 (Gordon Rogers) and State House District 40 (Mike Chippendale). The House district also covers parts of two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Foster’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 →