Photo: Andrew Bain · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Amherst run?
Amherst’s town government spent $1.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $508 per resident. Water and other utilities ($397,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Amherst is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $508 per resident a year, or $1.39 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 63%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$508 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Amherst’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($508 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 76 Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $524, and the middle half spent $292–$1,368. Amherst spent less than 53% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Amherst itself left out).
No trend yet
Amherst reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $990 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.45% of the home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Amherst’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Amherst’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Amherst →
Who’s in charge in Amherst
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Amherst’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on amherstva.gov ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 115 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 (2,182).
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.
Amherst County Public Schools
Amherst’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,160 per pupil, $9,024 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.
Virginia districts overall: 49% local, 41% state, 10% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Amherst’s votes are counted by county
Virginia reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Amherst alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Amherst County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican67.6%11,742 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat31.3%5,429 votesOthers: 1.1% (187 votes).
Most votes in Amherst County: Donald J Trump
Virginia: Harris 51.8%, Trump 46.1%
100% of Amherst lies in Amherst County. Every 2024 race in Amherst County is on the county’s page.
Amherst 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 Amherst.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: amherstva.gov ↗
- 2Virginia House of DelegatesState representatives
- 3Virginia SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Virginia
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Amherst’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Amherst’s government
How much does Amherst spend per resident?
About $508 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $508 was less than 53% of 76 Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Amherst?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $990 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.45% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see amherstva.gov.
Who runs Amherst’s government?
See amherstva.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Amherst yet.
How did Amherst vote in 2024?
Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Amherst alone. Amherst County, where 100% of Amherst lies, voted Trump 67.6%, Harris 31.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Amherst?
19 full-time and 15 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $89,735 (about $1.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Amherst in the state legislature?
State Senate District 11 (Creigh Deeds) and House of Delegates District 53 (Tim Griffin). The House of Delegates district also covers 1 neighboring town. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Amherst’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 →