Photo: Brandonrush · CC BY-SA 3.0Helena-West Helena spent more per resident in 2022 than 76% of similar cities
Helena-West Helena’s city government spent $11.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,335 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Helena-West Helena is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,071 per resident in 2022: more than 76% of them
Helena-West Helena’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,071 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–$1,053. Helena-West Helena spent more than 76% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3 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; Helena-West Helena itself left out).
About $1,335 per resident a year, or $3.66 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 10% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Helena-West Helena 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: $1,071 · 2024: $1,335. Per resident it went from $1,071 to $1,335 (up 25%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 10,032 to 8,872.
full-time in March 2025, down from 164 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 $681 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.93% 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 Helena-West Helena’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 Helena-West Helena’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Helena-West Helena →
Who’s in charge in Helena-West Helena
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Helena-West Helena’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on magnolia-ar.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 54 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 (8,872).
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.
Helena-West Helena School District
Helena-West Helena’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,985 per pupil, $7,971 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.
Helena-West Helena’s votes are counted by county
Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Helena-West Helena alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Phillips County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat55.8%2,754 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican42.5%2,098 votesOthers: 1.7% (86 votes).
Most votes in Phillips County: Kamala D Harris
Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%
100% of Helena-West Helena lies in Phillips County. Every 2024 race in Phillips County is on the county’s page.
Phillips 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 Helena-West Helena.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: magnolia-ar.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 Helena-West Helena’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Helena-West Helena’s government
How much does Helena-West Helena spend per resident?
About $1,335 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 $1,071 was more than 76% of 55 Arkansas cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Helena-West Helena?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $681 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.93% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see magnolia-ar.com.
Who runs Helena-West Helena’s government?
See magnolia-ar.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Helena-West Helena yet.
How did Helena-West Helena vote in 2024?
Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Helena-West Helena alone. Phillips County, where 100% of Helena-West Helena lies, voted Harris 55.8%, Trump 42.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Helena-West Helena?
163 full-time and 26 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $677,425 (about $8.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Helena-West Helena in the state legislature?
State Senate District 9 (Reginald Murdock) and State House District 62 (Mark McElroy). The House district also covers 15 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Helena-West Helena’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 →