Photo: Brandonrush · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Johnson run?
Johnson’s city government spent $3.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $969 per resident.
What stands out about how Johnson is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Fayetteville School District
Johnson’s K–12 school district, shared with Goshen, Fayetteville, Elkins. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,688 per pupil, $8,720 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.
Springdale School District · $13,998 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $969 per resident a year, or $2.65 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$788 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Johnson’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($788 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 32 Arkansas cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $688, and the middle half spent $510–$852. Johnson spent more than 62% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Arkansas cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Johnson itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 19% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Johnson 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: $788 · 2024: $969.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,015 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.64% 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 Johnson’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 Johnson’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Johnson →
Who’s in charge in Johnson
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 165 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (3,635).
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.
Johnson’s votes are counted by county
Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Johnson alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Washington County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican51.7%50,243 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat45.1%43,779 votesOthers: 3.2% (3,136 votes).
Most votes in Washington County: Donald J Trump
Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%
100% of Johnson lies in Washington County. Every 2024 race in Washington County is on the county’s page.
Washington 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 Johnson.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Arkansas HouseJohnson is split between 2 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 Johnson compares with the towns next door
Johnson spent $788 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $895 to $1,199. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Springdale | $895 | $1,430 |
| Fayetteville | $1,199 | $1,946 |
| Johnson | $788 | $2,015 |
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 Johnson’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Johnson’s government
How much does Johnson spend per resident?
About $969 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 $788 was more than 62% of 32 Arkansas cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Johnson?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,015 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.64% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Johnson’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Johnson yet.
How did Johnson vote in 2024?
Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Johnson alone. Washington County, where 100% of Johnson lies, voted Trump 51.7%, Harris 45.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Johnson?
22 full-time and 26 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $98,203 (about $1.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Johnson in the state legislature?
Johnson is split among 2 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 Johnson’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 →