Photo: Chris Litherland · CC BY-SA 3.0Malvern spent less per resident in 2022 than 84% of similar cities
Malvern’s city government spent $7.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $694 per resident.
What stands out about how Malvern is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$589 per resident in 2022: less than 84% of them
Malvern’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($589 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 $618–$1,063. Malvern spent less than 84% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($514,000), 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; Malvern itself left out).
About $694 per resident a year, or $1.90 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 17% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Malvern 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: $589 · 2023: $694.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $541 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.52% 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 Malvern’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 Malvern’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Malvern →
Who’s in charge in Malvern
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Malvern’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on malvernar.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 111 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (10,719).
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.
Malvern Special School District
Malvern’s K–12 school district, shared with Carthage, Perla, Rockport. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,541 per pupil, $8,729 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.
Malvern’s votes are counted by county
Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Malvern alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Hot Spring County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican75.1%9,226 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat22.9%2,818 votesOthers: 1.9% (239 votes).
Most votes in Hot Spring County: Donald J Trump
Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%
100% of Malvern lies in Hot Spring County. Every 2024 race in Hot Spring County is on the county’s page.
Hot Spring 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 Malvern.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: malvernar.gov ↗
- 2Arkansas HouseState representatives
- 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 Malvern compares with the towns next door
Malvern spent $589 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
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 Malvern’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Malvern’s government
How much does Malvern spend per resident?
About $694 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $589 was less than 84% of 55 Arkansas cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Malvern?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $541 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.52% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see malvernar.gov.
Who runs Malvern’s government?
See malvernar.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Malvern yet.
How did Malvern vote in 2024?
Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Malvern alone. Hot Spring County, where 100% of Malvern lies, voted Trump 75.1%, Harris 22.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Malvern?
97 full-time and 17 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $325,966 (about $3.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Malvern in the state legislature?
State Senate District 7 (Alan Clark) and State House District 29 (Rick McClure). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Malvern’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 →