Fort Lookout · Photo: Valis55 · CC BY-SA 4.0Camden spent more per resident in 2022 than 73% of similar cities
Camden’s city government spent $13.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,325 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.4 million) and the airport ($410,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Camden is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,051 per resident in 2022: more than 73% of them
Camden’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,051 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 55 Arkansas cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $819, and the middle half spent $612–$1,063. Camden spent more than 73% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.8 million), 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Camden itself left out).
About $1,325 per resident a year, or $3.63 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 22% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Camden reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,051 · 2024: $1,325.
full-time in March 2025, down from 153 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $543 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.51% 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 Camden’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 Camden’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Camden →
Who’s in charge in Camden
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Camden’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on camden.ar.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 74 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (10,298).
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.
Camden Fairview School District
Camden’s K–12 school district, shared with Chidester, Stephens. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,357 per pupil, $7,220 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.
Camden’s votes are counted by county
Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Camden alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Ouachita County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican58.6%5,056 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.6%3,412 votesOthers: 1.8% (158 votes).
Most votes in Ouachita County: Donald J Trump
Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%
100% of Camden lies in Ouachita County. Every 2024 race in Ouachita County is on the county’s page.
Ouachita 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 Camden.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: camden.ar.gov ↗
- 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 Camden’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Camden’s government
How much does Camden spend per resident?
About $1,325 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,051 was more than 73% of 55 Arkansas cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Camden?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $543 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.51% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see camden.ar.gov.
Who runs Camden’s government?
See camden.ar.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Camden yet.
How did Camden vote in 2024?
Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Camden alone. Ouachita County, where 100% of Camden lies, voted Trump 58.6%, Harris 39.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Camden?
140 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $612,462 (about $7.3M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Camden in the state legislature?
State Senate District 2 (Matt Stone) and State House District 98 (Wade Andrews). The House district also covers 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Camden’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 →