Photo: Brandonrush · CC BY-SA 4.0Patterson spent more per resident in 2022 than 86% of similar cities
Patterson’s city government spent $334,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $861 per resident. Water and other utilities ($71,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Patterson is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$861 per resident in 2022: more than 86% of them
Patterson’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($861 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 181 Arkansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $353, and the middle half spent $179–$636. Patterson spent more than 86% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($76,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Patterson itself left out).
About $861 per resident a year, or $2.36 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Patterson reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $483 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Patterson’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Patterson’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Patterson →
Who’s in charge in Patterson
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 97 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (388).
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.
McCrory School District
Patterson’s K–12 school district, shared with McCrory. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,045 per pupil, $8,086 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.
Patterson’s votes are counted by county
Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Patterson alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Woodruff County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican65.3%1,513 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat32.8%760 votesOthers: 1.9% (45 votes).
Most votes in Woodruff County: Donald J Trump
Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%
100% of Patterson lies in Woodruff County. Every 2024 race in Woodruff County is on the county’s page.
Woodruff 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 Patterson.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Patterson compares with the towns next door
Patterson spent $861 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| McCrory | estimate | $419 |
| Patterson | $861 | $483 |
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 Patterson’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Patterson’s government
How much does Patterson spend per resident?
About $861 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $861 was more than 86% of 181 Arkansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Patterson’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Patterson yet.
How did Patterson vote in 2024?
Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Patterson alone. Woodruff County, where 100% of Patterson lies, voted Trump 65.3%, Harris 32.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Patterson?
4 full-time and 24 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $14,634 (about $175,608 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Patterson in the state legislature?
State Senate District 10 (Ron Caldwell) and State House District 61 (Jeremiah Moore). The House district also covers 19 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Patterson’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 →