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Wakefield, VAPhoto: Taber Andrew Bain · CC BY 2.0
Town Hall · Wakefield

How is Wakefield run?

Wakefield’s town government spent $390,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $484 per resident. Water and other utilities ($237,000) and the airport ($85,000) are counted separately.

Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Virginia.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$390,000
year to June 30, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$484
In 2022: $484, less than 59% of 76 similar cities
Long-term debt
Not reported
end of FY2022, reported
Town staff, 2022
4
full-time · 2 part-time · March payroll $18,533
Typical tax bill
$791
0.42% of home value · VA 0.73%

What stands out about how Wakefield is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Runs its own water & sewer33% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2022).A shared school districtShares Sussex County Public Schools with 3 other towns.Lower tax billsThe typical bill is $791 a year: 0.42% of the home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia.
★ What stands out · Your share of the 2022 budget

About $484 per resident a year, or $1.33 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 35%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 66%Sales taxes 16%Fees & charges 6%Property taxes 6%From the state 4%Interest, fines & other 1%Other taxes & licenses <1%
Not in the receipt.Interest on debt $4,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $729,000.
About “Other”.25% of Wakefield’s day-to-day spending ($99,000) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places

$484 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

Wakefield’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($484 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. Wakefield spent less than 59% of them.

Middle half of the group, $292–$1,368Median $524Wakefield

Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
76

Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Wakefield itself left out).

Over the years

No trend yet

Wakefield reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $791 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.42% of the home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Virginia$2,790
Wakefield$791
$791
typical bill a year
0.42%
effective rate
$187,800
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Wakefield’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 Wakefield’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wakefield →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Wakefield

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

Check Wakefield’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Wakefield yet.
Who works for Wakefield

One full-time town employee for every 201 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 (805).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Administration & buildings4 + 2 pt
4
full-time
2
part-time
$18,533
payroll for March 2022
$222,396
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$50,300
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Wakefield had 5.0 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 69 of the 76 Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 8.9: Wakefield had fewer than 62% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Sussex County Public Schools

Wakefield’s K–12 school district, shared with Stony Creek, Waverly, Jarratt. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Wakefield →
$25,177
per pupil · VA $17,169
994
students
$9.6 million
long-term debt

Of the $25,177 per pupil, $11,600 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 33%State 48%Federal 19%

Virginia districts overall: 49% local, 41% state, 10% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Wakefield’s votes are counted by county

Virginia reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Wakefield alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Sussex County’s results.

President · Sussex County’s results4,900 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat51.8%2,539 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican47.4%2,322 votes

Others: 0.8% (39 votes).

Most votes in Sussex County: Kamala D Harris

Virginia: Harris 51.8%, Trump 46.1%

The county’s page

100% of Wakefield lies in Sussex County. Every 2024 race in Sussex County is on the county’s page.

Sussex County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Wakefield

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Wakefield.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Virginia House of DelegatesState representatives
    Otto Wachsmann
  3. 3
    Virginia SenateState senator
    Lashrecse Aird
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Abigail Spanberger
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Jennifer L. McClellan
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Virginia
    Mark R. WarnerTim Kaine

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Wakefield’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Wakefield’s government

How much does Wakefield spend per resident?

About $484 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 $484 was less than 59% of 76 Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Wakefield?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $791 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.42% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.

Who runs Wakefield’s government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wakefield yet.

How did Wakefield vote in 2024?

Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Wakefield alone. Sussex County, where 100% of Wakefield lies, voted Harris 51.8%, Trump 47.4% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Wakefield?

4 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $18,533 (about $222,396 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Wakefield in the state legislature?

State Senate District 13 (Lashrecse Aird) and House of Delegates District 83 (Otto Wachsmann). The House of Delegates district also covers 15 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Wakefield’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →