How is Caraway run?
Caraway’s city government spent $531,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $412 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Caraway didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Caraway is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Riverside School District
Caraway’s K–12 school district, shared with Lake City. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,352 per pupil, $6,873 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.
About $412 per resident a year, or $1.13 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Caraway didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Caraway yet
Every year of Caraway’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $428 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.50% 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 Caraway’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 Caraway’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Caraway →
Who’s in charge in Caraway
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 161 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,288).
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.
Caraway’s votes are counted by county
Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Caraway 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 Caraway 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 Caraway.
- 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 Caraway’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Caraway’s government
How much does Caraway spend per resident?
About $412 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Caraway didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $655,000.
What is the property tax rate in Caraway?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $428 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.50% 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 Caraway’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Caraway yet.
How did Caraway vote in 2024?
Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Caraway alone. Craighead County, where 100% of Caraway lies, voted Trump 67.5%, Harris 30.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Caraway?
8 full-time and 9 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $29,401 (about $352,812 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Caraway in the state legislature?
State Senate District 19 (Dave Wallace) and State House District 33 (Jon Milligan). The House district also covers 13 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Caraway’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 (for Caraway, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →