Alma spent less per resident in 2022 than 84% of similar cities
Alma’s city government spent $2.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $370 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($976,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Alma is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$370 per resident in 2022: less than 84% of them
Alma’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($370 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 32 Arkansas cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $730, and the middle half spent $579–$852. Alma spent less than 84% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($792,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Arkansas cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Alma itself left out).
About $370 per resident a year, or $1.01 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Alma reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2023 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, up from 43 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $1,284 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.55% of the home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Alma’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Alma’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Alma →
Who’s in charge in Alma
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 131 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (5,887).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Alma School District
Alma’s K–12 school district, shared with Dyer, Rudy. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,074 per pupil, $7,146 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Arkansas districts overall: 16% local, 70% state, 14% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Alma’s votes are counted by county
Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Alma alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Crawford County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican78.1%18,615 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat19.9%4,753 votesOthers: 2.0% (466 votes).
Most votes in Crawford County: Donald J Trump
Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%
100% of Alma lies in Crawford County. Every 2024 race in Crawford County is on the county’s page.
Crawford County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Alma.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Arkansas HouseState representatives
- 3Arkansas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Arkansas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Alma’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Alma’s government
How much does Alma spend per resident?
About $370 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $370 was less than 84% of 32 Arkansas cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Alma?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,284 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.55% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Alma’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Alma yet.
How did Alma vote in 2024?
Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Alma alone. Crawford County, where 100% of Alma lies, voted Trump 78.1%, Harris 19.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Alma?
45 full-time and 43 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $173,117 (about $2.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Alma in the state legislature?
State Senate District 29 (Jim Petty) and State House District 24 (Brad Hall). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Alma’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →