Berlin, MA: town finances
Low debt and solid savings (11% of budget); override vote unlikely despite school costs outpacing the tax cap.
Budget grade
Better than 86% of MA towns · score 92 of 100
± Borderline: the score is within 2 points of the A/B cutoff, so a small change in the data could move the budget grade.
Ability to pay
Above the state median for income and property value
Shown separately; not part of the budget grade. Income per resident $62,159 (Census ACS 2020-24); property value (EQV) per resident $308,544 (DLS 2024).
Chance of an override vote
1 point on our 0-8 scale: Low 0-2, Medium 3-4, High 5+. It ranks towns; it is not a percentage.
Key numbers
| Measure | Berlin | Median MA town |
|---|---|---|
| Typical tax bill, FY2026 (average single-family) | $9,951 | $6,755 |
| Tax bill as a share of median household income | 8.2% | 6.4% |
| Tax bill growth per year, FY2016-26 | 5.59% | 3.95% |
| Override vote dates, last 5 years | No | 35% of towns had one |
| Savings (reserves), % of budget, FY2024-26 average | 10.8% | 7.3% |
| Debt, % of property value, FY2023-25 (voter-approved debt at half weight) | 0.27% | 0.70% |
| Debt payments inside the tax cap, % of budget | 0.6% | 1.3% |
| Unused room under the tax cap, FY2026 (% of max levy) | 5.84% | 0.34% |
| School enrollment, 5-year change | +6% | -2% |
| Students per teacher, 2025-26 | 11.9 | 11.4 |
| Median single-family sale price, 2024 | $761k (20 sales) | $614k |
| Single-family price change, 2019-24 | +60.8% | +52.8% |
| Median household income (Census, 2020-24) | $121,336 | $113,750 |
| Population (DLS) | 4,189 | 10,585 |
Main school district: Berlin-Boylston (regional district shared with 2 towns). Shaded = worse than the median town on tax bill share or enrollment. Medians are across all 351 towns with data.
Why this budget grade
Budget grade B, solid (92/100, near the A/B line; better than 86% of MA towns): reserves averaged 11% of budget over FY2024-26 (state median 7.3%); debt 0.27% of property value with voter-approved debt at half weight (0.38% before; median 0.70%); debt payments inside the tax cap 0.6% of budget (median 1.3%). Voter-approved amounts exceed its general-fund debt payments (often regional school debt), so the state median share is used.
Why this chance of an override vote
Chance of an override vote: Low (1 pt): school spending grew 5.7%/yr vs 5.2%/yr for the tax cap limit, FY2020-2025 (+1).
Context, not scored
Teacher jobs -2.9% last year; enrollment +6% over 5 yrs; regional district shared with 2 towns; tax bill 8.2% of median income (state median 6.4%).
"pts" are points toward the chance of an override vote. Max levy is the most the town can raise without a vote under Prop 2½. See how the budget grade works.
See this town in the full data table →
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