William H. Smith House · Photo: Judylfhines · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Emerson run?
Emerson’s town government spent $115,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $340 per resident. Water and other utilities ($39,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Emerson is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $340 per resident a year, or $0.93 a day
Day-to-day services only.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$340 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Emerson’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($340 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 $356, and the middle half spent $179–$644. Emerson spent less than 52% 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; Emerson itself left out).
No trend yet
Emerson reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
Who’s in charge in Emerson
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 169 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 (338).
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.
Emerson-Taylor-Bradley School District
Emerson’s K–12 school district, shared with Bradley, Taylor. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,265 per pupil, $7,292 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.
Emerson’s votes are counted by county
Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Emerson alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Columbia County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican67.6%5,367 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat31.1%2,466 votesOthers: 1.3% (107 votes).
Most votes in Columbia County: Donald J Trump
Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%
100% of Emerson lies in Columbia County. Every 2024 race in Columbia County is on the county’s page.
Columbia 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 Emerson.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal 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 Emerson’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Emerson’s government
How much does Emerson spend per resident?
About $340 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 $340 was less than 52% of 181 Arkansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Emerson’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Emerson yet.
How did Emerson vote in 2024?
Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Emerson alone. Columbia County, where 100% of Emerson lies, voted Trump 67.6%, Harris 31.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Emerson?
2 full-time and 30 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $21,738 (about $260,856 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Emerson in the state legislature?
State Senate District 3 (Steve Crowell) and State House District 99 (Lane Jean). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Emerson’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 →