Photo: Brandonrush · CC BY-SA 4.0Des Arc spent more per resident in 2022 than 96% of similar cities
Des Arc’s city government spent $2.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,148 per resident. It also runs a hospital ($367,000) and water utilities ($1.1 million), counted separately. Census Bureau figures.
What stands out about how Des Arc is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,148 per resident a year, or $3.15 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,309 per resident in 2022: more than 96% of them
Des Arc’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,309 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. Des Arc spent more than 96% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($541,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Des Arc itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 4% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Des Arc 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: $1,309 · 2023: $1,035 · 2024: $1,148. Per resident it went from $1,309 to $1,148 (down 12%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,567 to 1,857.
full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), down from 23 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $456 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 Des Arc’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 Des Arc’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Des Arc →
Who’s in charge in Des Arc
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Des Arc’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on desarcpd.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 103 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (1,857).
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.
Des Arc Public Schools
Des Arc’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,961 per pupil, $7,198 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.
Des Arc’s votes are counted by county
Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Des Arc alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Prairie County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican82.1%2,628 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat16.4%524 votesOthers: 1.5% (48 votes).
Most votes in Prairie County: Donald J Trump
Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%
100% of Des Arc lies in Prairie County. Every 2024 race in Prairie County is on the county’s page.
Prairie 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 Des Arc.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: desarcpd.com ↗
- 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 Des Arc’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Des Arc’s government
How much does Des Arc spend per resident?
About $1,148 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. Des Arc also runs a hospital ($367,000), counted separately. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,309 was more than 96% of 181 Arkansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Des Arc?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $456 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 desarcpd.com.
Who runs Des Arc’s government?
See desarcpd.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Des Arc yet.
How did Des Arc vote in 2024?
Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Des Arc alone. Prairie County, where 100% of Des Arc lies, voted Trump 82.1%, Harris 16.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Des Arc?
18 full-time and 35 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 5 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $105,768 (about $1.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Des Arc in the state legislature?
State Senate District 10 (Ron Caldwell) and State House District 60 (Roger Lynch). The House district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Des Arc’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 →