Winthrop, MA: town finances
Fair finances; thin savings (3.7% of budget vs 7.3% typical); 2 override votes since 2016; another override vote likely.
Budget grade
Better than 16% of MA towns · score 65 of 100
Ability to pay
Above the state median for income and property value
Shown separately; not part of the budget grade. Income per resident $60,457 (Census ACS 2020-24); property value (EQV) per resident $211,444 (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.
Key numbers
| Measure | Winthrop | Median MA town |
|---|---|---|
| Typical tax bill, FY2026 (average single-family) | $8,293 | $6,755 |
| Tax bill as a share of median household income | 7.1% | 6.4% |
| Tax bill growth per year, FY2016-26 | 4.30% | 3.95% |
| Override vote dates, last 5 years | Yes (2 votes, 1 failed) | 35% of towns had one |
| Savings (reserves), % of budget, FY2024-26 average | 3.7% | 7.3% |
| Debt, % of property value, FY2023-25 (voter-approved debt at half weight) | 0.89% | 0.70% |
| Debt payments inside the tax cap, % of budget | 0.3% | 1.3% |
| Unused room under the tax cap, FY2026 (% of max levy) | 0.07% | 0.34% |
| School enrollment, 5-year change | +5% | -2% |
| Students per teacher, 2025-26 | 12.9 | 11.4 |
| Median single-family sale price, 2024 | $754k (53 sales) | $614k |
| Single-family price change, 2019-24 | +51.5% | +52.8% |
| Median household income (Census, 2020-24) | $116,167 | $113,750 |
| Population (DLS) | 18,510 | 10,585 |
Main school district: Winthrop. 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 (65/100; better than 16% of MA towns): reserves averaged 3.7% of budget over FY2024-26 (state median 7.3%); debt 0.89% of property value with voter-approved debt at half weight (1.68% before; median 0.70%); debt payments inside the tax cap 0.3% of budget (median 1.3%). 95% of debt payments are voter-approved and paid outside the cap.
Why this chance of an override vote
Chance of an override vote: High (7 pts): almost no unused room under the tax cap (0.07% of max levy, +3); override votes since July 2016, latest 2025-04 (+2); voter-approved debt or capital increase passed since July 2021 (+1); school spending grew 5.3%/yr vs 3.5%/yr for the tax cap limit, FY2020-2025 (+1).
Context, not scored
Teacher jobs +13.6% last year; enrollment +5% over 5 yrs; tax bill 7.1% 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 5, 2025 | Passed | $3,500,000 | School Operating Budget |
| Nov 5, 2024 | Failed | $4,950,000 | School Override |
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 →