Chelsea, MA: town finances
Low debt and solid savings (12% of budget); almost no room under the tax cap; an override vote possible.
Budget grade
Better than 91% of MA towns · score 94 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
Bottom 10% for income and property value
Shown separately; not part of the budget grade. Income per resident $32,986 (Census ACS 2020-24); property value (EQV) per resident $165,668 (DLS 2024).
Chance of an override vote
4 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 | Chelsea | Median MA town |
|---|---|---|
| Typical tax bill, FY2026 (average single-family) | $4,214 | $6,755 |
| Tax bill as a share of median household income | 5.8% | 6.4% |
| Tax bill growth per year, FY2022-26 | 4.80% | 3.95% |
| Override vote dates, last 5 years | No | 35% of towns had one |
| Savings (reserves), % of budget, FY2024-26 average | 11.7% | 7.3% |
| Debt, % of property value, FY2023-25 (voter-approved debt at half weight) | 0.57% | 0.70% |
| Debt payments inside the tax cap, % of budget | 1.0% | 1.3% |
| Unused room under the tax cap, FY2026 (% of max levy) | 0.03% | 0.34% |
| School enrollment, 5-year change | -3% | -2% |
| Students per teacher, 2025-26 | 11.3 | 11.4 |
| Median single-family sale price, 2024 | $653k (26 sales) | $614k |
| Single-family price change, 2019-24 | +45.0% | +52.8% |
| Median household income (Census, 2020-24) | $72,179 | $113,750 |
| Population (DLS) | 38,637 | 10,585 |
Main school district: Chelsea. 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 A, excellent (94/100, near the A/B line; better than 91% of MA towns): reserves averaged 12% of budget over FY2024-26 (state median 7.3%); debt 0.57% of property value with voter-approved debt at half weight (0.57% before; median 0.70%); debt payments inside the tax cap 1% of budget (median 1.3%).
Why this chance of an override vote
Chance of an override vote: Medium (4 pts): almost no unused room under the tax cap (0.03% of max levy, +3); school spending grew 6.6%/yr vs 6.6%/yr for the tax cap limit, FY2020-2025 (+1).
Context, not scored
Teacher jobs -0.5% last year; enrollment -3% over 5 yrs; news: proposed: ~70 positions proposed for FY2027; city added $4M and ~24.5 were restored; tax bill 5.8% of median income (state median 6.4%).
In the news: Proposed: ~70 positions proposed for FY2027; city added $4M and ~24.5 were restored
"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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