Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Little Rock spent more per resident in 2022 than 97% of similar cities
Little Rock’s city government spent $416.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,055 per resident. The airport ($27.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Little Rock is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,747 per resident in 2022: more than 97% of them
Little Rock’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,747 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 246 Arkansas cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $500, and the middle half spent $214–$823. Little Rock spent more than 97% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($42.9 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 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Little Rock itself left out).
About $2,055 per resident a year, or $5.63 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 21% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Little Rock 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: $1,747 · 2023: $1,902 · 2024: $2,055.
full-time in March 2025, up from 2,766 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 $1,902 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.80% 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 Little Rock’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 Little Rock’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Little Rock →
Who’s in charge in Little Rock
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 68 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 (202,864).
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.
Little Rock School District
Little Rock’s K–12 school district, shared with Cammack Village. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,548 per pupil, $9,308 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.
Pulaski County Special School District · $14,871 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Little Rock’s votes are counted by county
Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Little Rock alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Pulaski County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat59.8%92,038 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican37.7%57,977 votesOthers: 2.5% (3,909 votes).
Most votes in Pulaski County: Kamala D Harris
Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%
100% of Little Rock lies in Pulaski County. Every 2024 race in Pulaski County is on the county’s page.
Pulaski 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
Little Rock sends 8 representatives to the Arkansas House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Arkansas HouseLittle Rock is split between 8 districts
- 3Arkansas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Arkansas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Little Rock compares with the towns next door
Little Rock spent $1,747 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $724 to $1,755. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander | $724 | $519 |
| North Little Rock | $1,755 | $1,591 |
| Little Rock | $1,747 | $1,902 |
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 Little Rock’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Little Rock’s government
How much does Little Rock spend per resident?
About $2,055 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 $1,747 was more than 97% of 246 Arkansas cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Little Rock?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,902 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.80% 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 Little Rock’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Little Rock yet.
How did Little Rock vote in 2024?
Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Little Rock alone. Pulaski County, where 100% of Little Rock lies, voted Harris 59.8%, Trump 37.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Little Rock?
2,967 full-time and 439 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $18.6M (about $222.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Little Rock in the state legislature?
Little Rock is split among 8 State House districts and 4 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 Little Rock’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 →