Chelmsford, MA: town finances
Thin savings (2.6% of budget vs 7.3% typical); almost no room under the tax cap; another override vote likely.
Budget grade
Better than 5% of MA towns · score 52 of 100
± Borderline: the score is within 2 points of the D/F 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 $60,022 (Census ACS 2020-24); property value (EQV) per resident $256,214 (DLS 2024).
Chance of an override vote
5 points on our 0-8 scale: Low 0-2, Medium 3-4, High 5+. It ranks towns; it is not a percentage.
Key numbers
| Measure | Chelmsford | Median MA town |
|---|---|---|
| Typical tax bill, FY2026 (average single-family) | $9,219 | $6,755 |
| Tax bill as a share of median household income | 6.6% | 6.4% |
| Tax bill growth per year, FY2016-26 | 3.49% | 3.95% |
| Override vote dates, last 5 years | No | 35% of towns had one |
| Savings (reserves), % of budget, FY2024-26 average | 2.6% | 7.3% |
| Debt, % of property value, FY2023-25 (voter-approved debt at half weight) | 0.70% | 0.70% |
| Debt payments inside the tax cap, % of budget | 5.9% | 1.3% |
| Unused room under the tax cap, FY2026 (% of max levy) | 0.02% | 0.34% |
| School enrollment, 5-year change | +6% | -2% |
| Students per teacher, 2025-26 | 13.2 | 11.4 |
| Median single-family sale price, 2024 | $708k (246 sales) | $614k |
| Single-family price change, 2019-24 | +50.5% | +52.8% |
| Median household income (Census, 2020-24) | $140,629 | $113,750 |
| Population (DLS) | 35,906 | 10,585 |
Main school district: Chelmsford. 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 D, weak (52/100, near the D/F line; better than 5% of MA towns): reserves averaged 2.6% of budget over FY2024-26 (state median 7.3%); debt 0.70% of property value with voter-approved debt at half weight (0.76% before; median 0.70%); debt payments inside the tax cap 5.9% of budget (median 1.3%).
Why this chance of an override vote
Chance of an override vote: High (5 pts): almost no unused room under the tax cap (0.02% of max levy, +3); voter-approved debt or capital increase passed since July 2021 (+1); school spending grew 4.0%/yr vs 4.0%/yr for the tax cap limit, FY2020-2025 (+1).
Context, not scored
Teacher jobs +0.3% last year; enrollment +6% over 5 yrs; tax bill 6.6% 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 →