Photo: Brandonrush · CC BY-SA 3.0Hot Springs spent more per resident in 2022 than 97% of similar cities
Hot Springs’ city government spent $71.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,886 per resident. Water and other utilities ($12.6 million) and the airport ($3.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Hot Springs is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,691 per resident in 2022: more than 97% of them
Hot Springs’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,691 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 30 Arkansas cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $990, and the middle half spent $858–$1,131. Hot Springs spent more than 97% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($18.2 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 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Hot Springs itself left out).
About $1,886 per resident a year, or $5.17 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 24%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 9% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Hot Springs 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: $1,691 · 2023: $1,879 · 2024: $1,886.
full-time in March 2025, up from 620 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 $816 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.49% 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 Hot Springs’ 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 Hot Springs’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Hot Springs →
Who’s in charge in Hot Springs
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Hot Springs’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityhs.net ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 59 residents
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 (38,109).
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.
Hot Springs School District
Hot Springs’ K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,230 per pupil, $8,919 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.
Lakeside School District · $12,251 per pupil
Cutter-Morning Star School District · $15,843 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Hot Springs’ votes are counted by county
Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Hot Springs alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Garland County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican67.0%28,359 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat30.7%13,015 votesOthers: 2.3% (953 votes).
Most votes in Garland County: Donald J Trump
Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%
100% of Hot Springs lies in Garland County. Every 2024 race in Garland County is on the county’s page.
Garland 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 Hot Springs.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityhs.net ↗
- 2Arkansas HouseHot Springs is split between 3 districts
- 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.
How Hot Springs compares with the towns next door
Hot Springs spent $1,691 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Hot Springs | $1,691 | $816 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Hot Springs’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Hot Springs’ government
How much does Hot Springs spend per resident?
About $1,886 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 $1,691 was more than 97% of 30 Arkansas cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Hot Springs?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $816 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.49% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityhs.net.
Who runs Hot Springs’ government?
See cityhs.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Hot Springs yet.
How did Hot Springs vote in 2024?
Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Hot Springs alone. Garland County, where 100% of Hot Springs lies, voted Trump 67.0%, Harris 30.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Hot Springs?
649 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.2M (about $37.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Hot Springs in the state legislature?
Hot Springs is split among 3 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Arkansas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Hot Springs’ 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 →