Yarmouth, MA: town finances
Low debt and solid savings (10% of budget); 8 override votes since 2016; another routine override vote likely.
Budget grade
Better than 83% of MA towns · score 91 of 100
Ability to pay
Above the state median for income; second homes inflate property value here
Shown separately; not part of the budget grade. Income per resident $56,500 (Census ACS 2020-24); property value (EQV) per resident $432,766 (DLS 2024).
Chance of an override vote
6 points on our 0-8 scale: Low 0-2, Medium 3-4, High 5+. It ranks towns; it is not a percentage.
High · routine: Yarmouth 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 | Yarmouth | Median MA town |
|---|---|---|
| Typical tax bill, FY2026 (average single-family) | $4,949 | $6,755 |
| Tax bill as a share of median household income | 5.8% | 6.4% |
| Tax bill growth per year, FY2016-26 | 4.20% | 3.95% |
| Override vote dates, last 5 years | Yes (4 votes) | 35% of towns had one |
| Savings (reserves), % of budget, FY2024-26 average | 10.4% | 7.3% |
| Debt, % of property value, FY2023-25 (voter-approved debt at half weight) | 0.23% | 0.70% |
| Debt payments inside the tax cap, % of budget | 0.6% | 1.3% |
| Unused room under the tax cap, FY2026 (% of max levy) | 0.09% | 0.34% |
| School enrollment, 5-year change | +7% | -2% |
| Students per teacher, 2025-26 | 10.4 | 11.4 |
| Median single-family sale price, 2024 | $613k (313 sales) | $614k |
| Single-family price change, 2019-24 | +75.5% | +52.8% |
| Median household income (Census, 2020-24) | $86,039 | $113,750 |
| Population (DLS) | 25,244 | 10,585 |
Main school district: Dennis-Yarmouth (regional district shared with 2 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 (91/100; better than 83% of MA towns): reserves averaged 10% of budget over FY2024-26 (state median 7.3%); debt 0.23% of property value with voter-approved debt at half weight (0.32% before; median 0.70%); debt payments inside the tax cap 0.6% 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 (6 pts): almost no unused room under the tax cap (0.09% of max levy, +3); override votes since July 2016, latest 2026-05 (+2); school spending grew 4.0%/yr vs 3.5%/yr for the tax cap limit, FY2020-2025 (+1). Routine Cape voter: 8 of 8 override questions passed since July 2016, so High here means a habit of votes, not distress.
Context, not scored
Teacher jobs -0.2% last year; enrollment +7% over 5 yrs; regional district shared with 2 towns; tax bill 5.8% 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 2026 | Passed | $680,194 | To Fund Operating Expenses For Cape Cod Regional Tech School |
| May 19, 2026 | Passed | $1,481,348 | To Fund Operating Expenses For Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District |
| May 20, 2025 | Passed | $845,476 | To Fund Four Firefighters & A Supervisor |
| May 21, 2024 | Passed | $880,000 | To Fund D-Y Reg School Dist. Operations |
| May 18, 2021 | Passed | $420,034 | Operating Expenses For Dennis Yarmouth Rsd |
| Jun 18, 2019 | Passed | $601,409 | To Fund The Dennis-Yarnouth Regional School District Assessment For Fy2020 |
| May 15, 2018 | Passed | $546,767 | Funding Dennis Yarmouth Rsd Assessment |
| May 16, 2017 | Passed | $570,767 | Funding Dennis-Yarmouth Rsd |
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 →