Photo: Brandonrush · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Van Buren run?
Van Buren’s city government spent $25.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,079 per resident. Water and other utilities ($7.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Van Buren is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,079 per resident a year, or $2.96 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Van Buren yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Van Buren’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported 42% of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2024 only (2022 and 2023 are estimates), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, up from 184 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $1,047 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.58% 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 Van Buren’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 Van Buren’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Van Buren →
Who’s in charge in Van Buren
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Van Buren’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on vanburencity.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 125 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (23,755).
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.
Van Buren School District
Van Buren’s K–12 school district, shared with Kibler. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,711 per pupil, $6,690 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.
Van Buren’s votes are counted by county
Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Van Buren alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Crawford County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican78.1%18,615 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat19.9%4,753 votesOthers: 2.0% (466 votes).
Most votes in Crawford County: Donald J Trump
Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%
100% of Van Buren lies in Crawford County. Every 2024 race in Crawford County is on the county’s page.
Crawford 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 Van Buren.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: vanburencity.org ↗
- 2Arkansas HouseVan Buren 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.
How Van Buren compares with the towns next door
Van Buren’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,014 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Smith | $1,014 | $1,137 |
| Van Buren | estimate | $1,047 |
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 Van Buren’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Van Buren’s government
How much does Van Buren spend per resident?
About $1,079 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Van Buren?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,047 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.58% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see vanburencity.org.
Who runs Van Buren’s government?
See vanburencity.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Van Buren yet.
How did Van Buren vote in 2024?
Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Van Buren alone. Crawford County, where 100% of Van Buren lies, voted Trump 78.1%, Harris 19.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Van Buren?
190 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $903,788 (about $10.8M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Van Buren in the state legislature?
Van Buren is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Arkansas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 29 (Jim Petty). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Van Buren’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 →