Photo: Thomas R Machnitzki ([email protected]) · CC BY 3.0Paragould spent less per resident in 2022 than 87% of similar cities
Paragould’s city government spent $27.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $909 per resident. Water and other utilities ($48.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Paragould is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$724 per resident in 2022: less than 87% of them
Paragould’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($724 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 30 Arkansas cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,032, and the middle half spent $869–$1,144. Paragould spent less than 87% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($5.5 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 →
Arkansas cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Paragould itself left out).
About $909 per resident a year, or $2.49 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 24%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 29% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Paragould 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: $724 · 2023: $838 · 2024: $909.
full-time in March 2025, up from 297 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 $872 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.48% 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 Paragould’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 Paragould’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Paragould →
Who’s in charge in Paragould
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Paragould’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on paragouldarkansas.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 92 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 (30,178).
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.
Paragould School District
Paragould’s K–12 school district, shared with Oak Grove Heights. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,759 per pupil, $7,298 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.
Greene County Technical School District · $12,249 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Paragould’s votes are counted by county
Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Paragould alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Greene County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican79.8%12,617 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat18.6%2,935 votesOthers: 1.7% (268 votes).
Most votes in Greene County: Donald J Trump
Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%
100% of Paragould lies in Greene County. Every 2024 race in Greene County is on the county’s page.
Greene 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 Paragould.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: paragouldarkansas.com ↗
- 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.
Reach Paragould’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Paragould’s government
How much does Paragould spend per resident?
About $909 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 $724 was less than 87% of 30 Arkansas cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Paragould?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $872 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.48% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see paragouldarkansas.com.
Who runs Paragould’s government?
See paragouldarkansas.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Paragould yet.
How did Paragould vote in 2024?
Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Paragould alone. Greene County, where 100% of Paragould lies, voted Trump 79.8%, Harris 18.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Paragould?
327 full-time and 31 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.0M (about $24.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Paragould in the state legislature?
State Senate District 21 (Blake Johnson) and State House District 31 (Jimmy Gazaway). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Paragould’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 →