Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Jonesboro

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Edward L. Westbrooke BuildingEdward L. Westbrooke Building · Photo: Brandonrush · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Jonesboro

Jonesboro spent less per resident in 2022 than 88% of similar cities

Jonesboro’s city government spent $73.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $923 per resident. Water and other utilities ($89.8 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Next public meeting

Public Works Council Committee

5:00 pm · Municipal Center, 300 South Church St.

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$73.7M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$923
In 2022: $732, less than 88% of 17 similar cities
Long-term debt
$54.9M
end of 2024, reported
City staff, 2025
737
full-time · 151 part-time · March payroll $4.3M
Typical tax bill
$1,239
0.56% of home value · AR 0.55%

What stands out about how Jonesboro is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends less than most similar citiesIn 2022: $732 per resident, less than 88% of 17 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer61% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2024).Split between districts5 State House districts cover Jonesboro; your street decides yours.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Jonesboro’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

  • Oct27
    Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (MAPC)Tuesday · 5:30 pm · Municipal Center, 300 South Church St.Agenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Oct27
    Finance & Administration Council CommitteeTuesday · 4:00 pm · Municipal Center, 300 South Church St.Agenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Oct20
    Board of Zoning and Adjustments (BZA)Tuesday · 1:30 pm · Municipal Center, 300 South Church St.Meeting page ↗
  • Oct13
    Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (MAPC)Tuesday · 5:30 pm · Municipal Center, 300 S. Church StreetMetropolitan Area Planning CommissionMeeting page ↗
  • Sep15
    City CouncilTuesday · 5:30 pm · Municipal Center, 300 South Church St.City Council MeetingMeeting page ↗
Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $923 per resident a year, or $2.53 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 24%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 48%Sales taxes 16%From other local governments 10%Interest, fines & other 7%Fees & charges 6%From the state 6%From the federal government 4%Property taxes 2%Other taxes & licenses 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $84.7 million; interest on debt $1.6 million; payments to other governments $8 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $258.9 million.
Compared with similar places

$732 per resident in 2022: less than 88% of them

Jonesboro’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($732 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 17 Arkansas cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,014, and the middle half spent $865–$1,158. Jonesboro spent less than 88% of them.

Middle half of the group, $865–$1,158Median $1,014Jonesboro

Includes sewer and trash ($9.5 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 →

The group
17

Arkansas cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Jonesboro itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 26% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Jonesboro reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$58.4 million
2023$68.9 million
2024$73.7 million

Per resident: 2022: $732 · 2023: $869 · 2024: $923.

City staff
737

full-time in March 2025, down from 761 in 2022.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,239 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.56% of the home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Jonesboro$1,239
Arkansas$1,040
Bay$683
$1,239
typical bill a year
0.56%
effective rate
$223,200
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Jonesboro’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 Jonesboro’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Jonesboro →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Jonesboro

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See jonesboro.org for Jonesboro’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Jonesboro yet.jonesboro.org ↗
Who works for Jonesboro

One full-time city employee for every 108 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 (79,876).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Police168 + 6 pt
Water & other utilities159 + 4 pt
Fire127 + 10 pt
Parks & libraries36 + 96 pt
Sewer & trash75 + 7 pt
Roads & transportation68 + 12 pt
Administration & buildings22 + 13 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections9
Other73 + 3 pt
737
full-time
151
part-time
$4.3M
payroll for March 2025
$51.5M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$67,100
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
158
sworn police officers
126
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Jonesboro had 9.5 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 12 of the 17 Arkansas cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 9.1: Jonesboro had more than 58% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Nettleton School District

Jonesboro’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Jonesboro →
$13,490
per pupil · AR $13,585
3,823
students
$54.3 million
long-term debt

Of the $13,490 per pupil, $7,452 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 18%State 69%Federal 13%

Arkansas districts overall: 16% local, 70% state, 14% federal.

Also serving Jonesboro

Jonesboro Public Schools · $12,862 per pupil

Valley View School District · $11,682 per pupil

Brookland School District · $11,483 per pupil

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Jonesboro’s votes are counted by county

Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Jonesboro alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Craighead County’s results.

President · Craighead County’s results37,242 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican67.5%25,152 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat30.1%11,210 votes

Others: 2.4% (880 votes).

Most votes in Craighead County: Donald J Trump

Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%

The county’s page

100% of Jonesboro lies in Craighead County. Every 2024 race in Craighead County is on the county’s page.

Craighead County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Jonesboro

From town hall to Washington

Jonesboro sends 5 representatives to the Arkansas House alone.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: jonesboro.org ↗
  2. 2
    Arkansas HouseJonesboro is split between 5 districts
    Jack LadymanJohnny RyeDwight ToshJon MilliganFran Cavenaugh
  3. 3
    Arkansas SenateState senator
    Dan SullivanDave Wallace
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Sarah Huckabee Sanders
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Eric A. "Rick" Crawford
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Arkansas
    John BoozmanTom Cotton
Find your state legislators by address ↗

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Jonesboro compares with the towns next door

Jonesboro spent $732 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $824. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Bay: $824 per resident (2022)BayJonesboro
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Bay$824$683
Jonesboro$732$1,239

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 Jonesboro’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitejonesboro.org ↗

Questions about Jonesboro’s government

How much does Jonesboro spend per resident?

About $923 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 $732 was less than 88% of 17 Arkansas cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Jonesboro?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,239 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.56% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see jonesboro.org.

Who runs Jonesboro’s government?

See jonesboro.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Jonesboro yet.

How did Jonesboro vote in 2024?

Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Jonesboro alone. Craighead County, where 100% of Jonesboro lies, voted Trump 67.5%, Harris 30.1% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Jonesboro?

737 full-time and 151 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.3M (about $51.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Jonesboro in the state legislature?

Jonesboro is split among 5 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.

When is the next public meeting in Jonesboro?

The next posted meeting is Public Works Council Committee on Thursday, November 5, at 5:00 pm in Municipal Center, 300 South Church St., from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Jonesboro’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →