Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0Magnolia runs its own hospital
Magnolia’s city government spent $8.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $753 per resident. It also runs a hospital ($28.4 million) and water utilities ($1.8 million), counted separately. Census Bureau figures.
What stands out about how Magnolia is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $753 per resident a year, or $2.06 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$633 per resident in 2022: less than 69% of them
Magnolia’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($633 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 $835, and the middle half spent $612–$1,063. Magnolia spent less than 69% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($961,000), 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; Magnolia itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 12% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Magnolia 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: $633 · 2023: $692 · 2024: $753. Per resident it went from $633 to $753 (up 19%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 11,443 to 10,780.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $895 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.53% 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 Magnolia’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 Magnolia’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Magnolia →
Who’s in charge in Magnolia
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Magnolia’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 136 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
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 (10,780).
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.
Magnolia School District
Magnolia’s K–12 school district, shared with McNeil, Waldo. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,428 per pupil, $7,019 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.
Magnolia’s votes are counted by county
Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Magnolia alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Columbia County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican67.6%5,367 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat31.1%2,466 votesOthers: 1.3% (107 votes).
Most votes in Columbia County: Donald J Trump
Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%
100% of Magnolia lies in Columbia County. Every 2024 race in Columbia County is on the county’s page.
Columbia 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 Magnolia.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: magnolia-ar.com ↗
- 2Arkansas HouseMagnolia 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.
Reach Magnolia’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Magnolia’s government
How much does Magnolia spend per resident?
About $753 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. Magnolia also runs a hospital ($28.4 million), counted separately. In 2022, the last full count, its $633 was less than 69% of 55 Arkansas cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Magnolia?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $895 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.53% 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 Magnolia’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 Magnolia yet.
How did Magnolia vote in 2024?
Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Magnolia alone. Columbia County, where 100% of Magnolia lies, voted Trump 67.6%, Harris 31.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Magnolia?
79 full-time and 25 part-time employees in March 2022 (plus 1 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $310,005 (about $3.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Magnolia in the state legislature?
Magnolia is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Arkansas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 3 (Steve Crowell). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Magnolia’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 →