How is Swanton run?
Swanton’s village government spent $3.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,646 per resident. Water and other utilities ($7.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Swanton is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $1,646 per resident a year, or $4.51 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 34%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,097 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Swanton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,097 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 15 Vermont cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $720, and the middle half spent $424–$1,520. Swanton spent more than 60% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($650,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Vermont cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Swanton itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 50% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Swanton 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: $1,097 · 2023: $1,122 · 2024: $1,646.
full-time in March 2025, up from 34 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,370 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.91% of the home’s value, vs 1.59% across Vermont.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Swanton’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 Swanton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Swanton →
Who’s in charge in Swanton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 60 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (2,381).
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.
Missisquoi Valley School District 89
Swanton’s K–12 school district, shared with Franklin, Highgate, Swanton. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $25,979 per pupil, $13,638 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.
Vermont districts overall: 5% local, 89% state, 6% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Swanton’s votes are counted by county
Vermont reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Swanton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Franklin County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat49.7%13,280 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican46.7%12,490 votesOthers: 3.6% (973 votes).
Most votes in Franklin County: Kamala D Harris
Vermont: Harris 63.8%, Trump 32.3%
100% of Swanton lies in Franklin County. Every 2024 race in Franklin County is on the county’s page.
Franklin 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 Swanton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Vermont HouseState representatives
- 3Vermont SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Vermont
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Swanton’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Swanton’s government
How much does Swanton spend per resident?
About $1,646 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,097 was more than 60% of 15 Vermont cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Swanton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,370 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.91% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.59% across Vermont. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the village’s assessor.
Who runs Swanton’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Swanton yet.
How did Swanton vote in 2024?
Vermont counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Swanton alone. Franklin County, where 100% of Swanton lies, voted Harris 49.7%, Trump 46.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Swanton?
40 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $313,442 (about $3.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Swanton in the state legislature?
State Senate District Franklin (Bob Norris and Randy Brock) and State House District Franklin-4 (Matt Walker and Tom Oliver). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Swanton’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 →