Brewster, MA: town finances
Low debt and solid savings (7.9% of budget); 4 override votes since 2016; another routine override vote likely.
Budget grade
Better than 67% of MA towns · score 85 of 100
Ability to pay
Top 25% for income; second homes inflate property value here
Shown separately; not part of the budget grade. Income per resident $71,346 (Census ACS 2020-24); property value (EQV) per resident $689,214 (DLS 2024).
Chance of an override vote
7 points on our 0-8 scale: Low 0-2, Medium 3-4, High 5+. It ranks towns; it is not a percentage.
High · routine: Brewster votes on overrides most years and usually passes them, so a vote is likely, but it signals habit, not distress. More on Cape Cod
Key numbers
| Measure | Brewster | Median MA town |
|---|---|---|
| Typical tax bill, FY2026 (average single-family) | $6,544 | $6,755 |
| Tax bill as a share of median household income | 6.3% | 6.4% |
| Tax bill growth per year, FY2016-26 | 5.16% | 3.95% |
| Override vote dates, last 5 years | Yes (3 votes) | 35% of towns had one |
| Savings (reserves), % of budget, FY2024-26 average | 7.9% | 7.3% |
| Debt, % of property value, FY2023-25 (voter-approved debt at half weight) | 0.52% | 0.70% |
| Debt payments inside the tax cap, % of budget | 2.3% | 1.3% |
| Unused room under the tax cap, FY2026 (% of max levy) | 0.08% | 0.34% |
| School enrollment, 5-year change | -10% | -2% |
| Students per teacher, 2025-26 | 9.1 | 11.4 |
| Median single-family sale price, 2024 | $878k (103 sales) | $614k |
| Single-family price change, 2019-24 | +85.7% | +52.8% |
| Median household income (Census, 2020-24) | $103,317 | $113,750 |
| Population (DLS) | 10,444 | 10,585 |
Main school district: Nauset (regional district shared with 4 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 (85/100; better than 67% of MA towns): reserves averaged 7.9% of budget over FY2024-26 (state median 7.3%); debt 0.52% of property value with voter-approved debt at half weight (0.74% before; median 0.70%); debt payments inside the tax cap 2.3% 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: High (7 pts): almost no unused room under the tax cap (0.08% of max levy, +3); override votes since July 2016, latest 2026-05 (+2); voter-approved debt or capital increase passed since July 2021 (+1); school spending grew 7.9%/yr vs 4.5%/yr for the tax cap limit, FY2020-2025 (+1). Routine Cape voter: 7 of 7 override questions passed since July 2016, so High here means a habit of votes, not distress.
Context, not scored
Teacher jobs -2.0% last year; enrollment -10% over 5 yrs; regional district shared with 4 towns; tax bill 6.3% 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.
Override votes since July 2016
| Vote date | Result | Amount | Purpose (as listed by DLS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 2026 | Passed | $550,000 | Nauset Reg'L School Operating Override |
| May 19, 2026 | Passed | $1,250,000 | Town Operating Override |
| May 19, 2026 | Passed | $180,000 | Elementary School Operating Override |
| May 28, 2024 | Passed | $758,091 | Funding Elementary School Budget |
| May 16, 2023 | Passed | $316,878 | Funding Elementary School Budget |
| May 16, 2023 | Passed | $647,720 | Funding Nauset Reg'L School Assessment |
| May 21, 2019 | Passed | $309,000 | Funding Of New 4 Positions. 1 Program Coordinator Council On Aging, 1 Natural Resource Officer, 2 Firefighter/Paramedic Fire Department |
Source: MA DLS Proposition 2½ override vote file, as of 25 Oct 2026. One ballot can carry several questions.
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