Photo: Bbqamazing · CC BY-SA 4.0Bridgewater spent less per resident in 2022 than 74% of similar cities
Bridgewater’s town government spent $8.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,230 per resident. Water and other utilities ($573,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bridgewater is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$1,280 per resident in 2022: less than 74% of them
Bridgewater’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,280 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 27 Virginia cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,514, and the middle half spent $1,296–$1,804. Bridgewater spent less than 74% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.1 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 →
Virginia cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bridgewater itself left out).
About $1,230 per resident a year, or $3.37 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 4% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bridgewater 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: $1,280 · 2023: $1,222 · 2024: $1,230. Per resident it went from $1,280 to $1,230 (down 4%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 6,162 to 6,694.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,890 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.49% 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 Bridgewater’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 Bridgewater’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bridgewater →
Who’s in charge in Bridgewater
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bridgewater’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on bridgewater.town ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 131 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 (6,694).
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.
Rockingham County Public Schools
Bridgewater’s K–12 school district, shared with Broadway, Dayton, Elkton, Mount Crawford, Timberville and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,479 per pupil, $9,508 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.
Bridgewater’s votes are counted by county
Virginia reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Bridgewater alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Rockingham County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican67.6%33,033 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat30.8%15,035 votesOthers: 1.6% (785 votes).
Most votes in Rockingham County: Donald J Trump
Virginia: Harris 51.8%, Trump 46.1%
100% of Bridgewater lies in Rockingham County. Every 2024 race in Rockingham County is on the county’s page.
Rockingham 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 Bridgewater.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: bridgewater.town ↗
- 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 Bridgewater’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bridgewater’s government
How much does Bridgewater spend per resident?
About $1,230 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 $1,280 was less than 74% of 27 Virginia cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bridgewater?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,890 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.49% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bridgewater.town.
Who runs Bridgewater’s government?
See bridgewater.town for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bridgewater yet.
How did Bridgewater vote in 2024?
Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Bridgewater alone. Rockingham County, where 100% of Bridgewater lies, voted Trump 67.6%, Harris 30.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bridgewater?
51 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $261,826 (about $3.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bridgewater in the state legislature?
State Senate District 2 (Mark Obenshain) and House of Delegates District 35 (Chris Runion). The House of Delegates district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bridgewater’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 →