West Tisbury, MA: town finances
Fair finances; below-typical savings (5.1% of budget vs 7.3% typical); 5 override votes since 2016; another override vote likely.
Budget grade
Better than 37% of MA towns · score 75 of 100
Ability to pay
Top 5% for income; second homes inflate property value here
Shown separately; not part of the budget grade. Income per resident $103,728 (Census ACS 2020-24); property value (EQV) per resident $1,380,377 (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 | West Tisbury | Median MA town |
|---|---|---|
| Typical tax bill, FY2026 (average single-family) | $8,862 | $6,755 |
| Tax bill as a share of median household income | 4.8% | 6.4% |
| Tax bill growth per year, FY2016-26 | 4.24% | 3.95% |
| Override vote dates, last 5 years | Yes (3 votes) | 35% of towns had one |
| Savings (reserves), % of budget, FY2024-26 average | 5.1% | 7.3% |
| Debt, % of property value, FY2023-25 (voter-approved debt at half weight) | 0.06% | 0.70% |
| Debt payments inside the tax cap, % of budget | 0.1% | 1.3% |
| Unused room under the tax cap, FY2026 (% of max levy) | 2.04% | 0.34% |
| School enrollment, 5-year change | +2% | -2% |
| Students per teacher, 2025-26 | 7.5 | 11.4 |
| Median single-family sale price, 2024 | $1.9M (26 sales) | $614k |
| Single-family price change, 2019-24 | +135.3% | +52.8% |
| Median household income (Census, 2020-24) | $182,750 | $113,750 |
| Population (DLS) | 3,594 | 10,585 |
Main school district: Up-Island Regional (regional district shared with 3 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 C, fair (75/100; better than 37% of MA towns): reserves averaged 5.1% of budget over FY2024-26 (state median 7.3%); debt 0.06% of property value with voter-approved debt at half weight (0.11% before; median 0.70%); debt payments inside the tax cap 0.1% of budget (median 1.3%). 97% of debt payments are voter-approved and paid outside the cap.
Why this chance of an override vote
Chance of an override vote: High (5 pts): limited room under the tax cap (2.04% of max levy, +1); override votes since July 2016, latest 2026-04 (+2); voter-approved debt or capital increase passed since July 2021 (+1); school spending grew 5.1%/yr vs 4.7%/yr for the tax cap limit, FY2020-2025 (+1).
Context, not scored
Teacher jobs -1.8% last year; enrollment +2% over 5 yrs; regional district shared with 3 towns; tax bill 4.8% 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 2026 | Passed | $3,491,090 | Operational Purposes |
| Apr 8, 2025 | Passed | $1,653,835 | Operating Budget |
| Apr 11, 2024 | Passed | $720,000 | General Override To Cover Uirsd Bugdet Increase |
| May 20, 2021 | Passed | $300,000 | Operating And Capital Expenditures |
| Apr 12, 2018 | Passed | $400,000 | Funding Operating Budget |
Source: MA DLS Proposition 2½ override vote file, as of 25 Oct 2026. One ballot can carry several questions.
See this town in the full data table →
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