Photo: Drums600 at English Wikipedia · Public domainSumas spent more per resident in 2022 than 87% of similar cities
Sumas’ city government spent $4.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $2,785 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Sumas is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,174 per resident in 2022: more than 87% of them
Sumas’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,174 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 118 Washington cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $992, and the middle half spent $713–$1,338. Sumas spent more than 87% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($918,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Washington cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Sumas itself left out).
About $2,785 per resident a year, or $7.63 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 24%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 28% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Sumas 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: $2,174 · 2023: $2,785.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,963 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.67% of the home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Sumas’ 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 Sumas’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sumas →
Who’s in charge in Sumas
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Sumas’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofsumas.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 109 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (1,629).
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.
Nooksack Valley School District
Sumas’ K–12 school district, shared with Everson, Nooksack. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,138 per pupil, $10,373 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.
Washington districts overall: 27% local, 66% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Sumas’ votes are counted by county
Washington reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sumas alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Whatcom County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat60.4%83,295 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican35.7%49,213 votesOthers: 3.9% (5,360 votes).
Most votes in Whatcom County: Kamala D Harris
Washington: Harris 57.2%, Trump 39.0%
100% of Sumas lies in Whatcom County. Every 2024 race in Whatcom County is on the county’s page.
Whatcom 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 Sumas.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofsumas.com ↗
- 2Washington HouseState representatives
- 3Washington SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Washington
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Sumas’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Sumas’ government
How much does Sumas spend per resident?
About $2,785 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,174 was more than 87% of 118 Washington cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Sumas?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,963 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.67% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofsumas.com.
Who runs Sumas’ government?
See cityofsumas.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sumas yet.
How did Sumas vote in 2024?
Washington counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sumas alone. Whatcom County, where 100% of Sumas lies, voted Harris 60.4%, Trump 35.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Sumas?
15 full-time and 10 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $118,061 (about $1.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Sumas in the state legislature?
State Senate District 42 (Sharon Shewmake) and State House District 42 (Alicia Rule and Joe Timmons). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Sumas’ 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 →