How is Friendship run?
Friendship’s town government spent $53,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $277 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Friendship is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $277 per resident a year, or $0.76 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 58%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$277 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Friendship’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($277 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. Friendship spent less than 60% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($31,000), 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; Friendship itself left out).
No trend yet
Friendship reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,000 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.61% 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 Friendship’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 Friendship’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Friendship →
Who’s in charge in Friendship
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Ouachita School District
Friendship’s K–12 school district, shared with Donaldson, Midway. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,406 per pupil, $6,092 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.
Friendship’s votes are counted by county
Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Friendship alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Hot Spring County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican75.1%9,226 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat22.9%2,818 votesOthers: 1.9% (239 votes).
Most votes in Hot Spring County: Donald J Trump
Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%
100% of Friendship lies in Hot Spring County. Every 2024 race in Hot Spring County is on the county’s page.
Hot Spring 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 Friendship.
- 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 Friendship’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Friendship’s government
How much does Friendship spend per resident?
About $277 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 $277 was less than 60% of 181 Arkansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Friendship?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,000 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.61% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Friendship’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Friendship yet.
How did Friendship vote in 2024?
Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Friendship alone. Hot Spring County, where 100% of Friendship lies, voted Trump 75.1%, Harris 22.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Friendship?
0 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $443 (about $5,316 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Friendship in the state legislature?
State Senate District 7 (Alan Clark) and State House District 90 (Richard Womack). The House district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Friendship’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 →