Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0In Westerly, 65% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Rhode Island
Westerly’s town government spent $98.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $4,225 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Westerly is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Westerly School District
Westerly’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Westerly, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $27,086 per pupil, $14,635 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 $4,225 per resident a year, or $11.58 a day
Schools are part of the town’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 65% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Westerly runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with Rhode Island towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools.
$4,000 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns
Westerly’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($4,000 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 23 Rhode Island towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools: the median was $3,885, and the middle half spent $3,359–$4,364. Westerly spent more than 56% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($6.4 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 →
Rhode Island towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Westerly itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 10% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Westerly 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: $4,000 · 2024: $4,225.
full-time in March 2025, up from 665 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 $3,847 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.82% 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 Westerly’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 Westerly’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Westerly →
Who’s in charge in Westerly
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Westerly’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on westerlyri.gov ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 35 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 (23,298).
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 Westerly voted in 2024
Official results for Westerly’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat52.7%6,653 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican44.9%5,664 votesOthers: 2.4% (304 votes).
Most votes in Westerly: Kamala D Harris
Washington County: Harris 56.0%, Trump 41.1% · Rhode Island: Harris 55.6%, Trump 41.8%
of Westerly’s 19,507 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Rhode Island: 62%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Westerly: Sheldon Whitehouse
Washington County: Whitehouse 58.3%, Morgan 41.6% · Rhode Island: Whitehouse 59.9%, Morgan 39.8%
Most votes in the district: Seth Magaziner
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Westerly, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westerly | 52.7% | 44.9% | 2.4% | 12,621 |
| Washington County | 56.0% | 41.1% | 2.9% | 76,036 |
| 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 Westerly.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: westerlyri.gov ↗
- 2Rhode Island HouseWesterly is split between 3 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 Westerly compares with the towns next door
Westerly spent $4,000 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $3,359 to $3,452. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Charlestown | $3,359 runs schools | $3,365 |
| Hopkinton | $3,452 runs schools | $5,616 |
| Westerly | $4,000 | $3,847 |
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 Westerly’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Westerly’s government
How much does Westerly spend per resident?
About $4,225 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $4,000 was more than 56% of 23 Rhode Island towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Westerly?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,847 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.82% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.21% across Rhode Island. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see westerlyri.gov.
Who runs Westerly’s government?
See westerlyri.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Westerly yet.
How did Westerly vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 52.7%, Donald J Trump 44.9% (12,621 votes, official results). Washington County: Harris 56.0%, Trump 41.1%. Rhode Island: Harris 55.6%, Trump 41.8%.
How many people work for Westerly?
666 full-time and 244 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.7M (about $56.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Westerly in the state legislature?
Westerly is split among 3 State House districts, so your address decides. The Rhode Island Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 38 (Victoria Gu). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Westerly’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 →