Photo: Thomas R Machnitzki ([email protected]) · CC BY 3.0Bay spent more per resident in 2022 than 85% of similar cities
Bay’s city government spent $1.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $824 per resident.
What stands out about how Bay is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$824 per resident in 2022: more than 85% of them
Bay’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($824 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 181 Arkansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $353, and the middle half spent $179–$636. Bay spent more than 85% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Arkansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bay itself left out).
About $824 per resident a year, or $2.26 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 68%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Bay reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $683 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.58% 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 Bay’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Bay’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bay →
Who’s in charge in Bay
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 151 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,816).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Bay School District
Bay’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,056 per pupil, $8,446 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.
Bay’s votes are counted by county
Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bay alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Craighead County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican67.5%25,152 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat30.1%11,210 votesOthers: 2.4% (880 votes).
Most votes in Craighead County: Donald J Trump
Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%
100% of Bay lies in Craighead County. Every 2024 race in Craighead County is on the county’s page.
Craighead 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 Bay.
- 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.
How Bay compares with the towns next door
Bay spent $824 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $732. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Jonesboro | $732 | $1,239 |
| Bay | $824 | $683 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Bay’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Bay’s government
How much does Bay spend per resident?
About $824 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 $824 was more than 85% of 181 Arkansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bay?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $683 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.58% 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 Bay’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bay yet.
How did Bay vote in 2024?
Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bay alone. Craighead County, where 100% of Bay lies, voted Trump 67.5%, Harris 30.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bay?
12 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $48,666 (about $583,992 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bay in the state legislature?
State Senate District 19 (Dave Wallace) and State House District 36 (Johnny Rye). The House district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bay’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 →