Memphis and Arkansas Bridge · Photo: Thomas R Machnitzki ([email protected]) · CC BY 3.0West Memphis spent more per resident in 2022 than 93% of similar cities
West Memphis’ city government spent $39.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,678 per resident. Water and other utilities ($28.8 million) and the airport ($1.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how West Memphis is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,278 per resident in 2022: more than 93% of them
West Memphis’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,278 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 $819, and the middle half spent $612–$1,053. West Memphis spent more than 93% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.6 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; West Memphis itself left out).
About $1,678 per resident a year, or $4.60 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 29% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years West Memphis 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: $1,278 · 2023: $1,350 · 2024: $1,678.
full-time in March 2025, up from 338 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $726 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.60% 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 West Memphis’ 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 West Memphis’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in West Memphis →
Who’s in charge in West Memphis
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 69 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 (23,795).
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.
West Memphis School District
West Memphis’ K–12 school district, shared with Anthonyville, Edmondson, Horseshoe Lake, Hughes. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,559 per pupil, $7,953 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.
Marion School District · $13,229 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
West Memphis’ votes are counted by county
Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for West Memphis alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Crittenden County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat50.1%7,362 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican47.9%7,028 votesOthers: 2.0% (291 votes).
Most votes in Crittenden County: Kamala D Harris
Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%
100% of West Memphis lies in Crittenden County. Every 2024 race in Crittenden County is on the county’s page.
Crittenden 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 West Memphis.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Arkansas HouseWest Memphis 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 West Memphis compares with the towns next door
West Memphis spent $1,278 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $607. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Marion | $607 | $1,686 |
| West Memphis | $1,278 | $726 |
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 West Memphis’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about West Memphis’ government
How much does West Memphis spend per resident?
About $1,678 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 $1,278 was more than 93% of 55 Arkansas cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in West Memphis?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $726 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.60% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs West Memphis’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for West Memphis yet.
How did West Memphis vote in 2024?
Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for West Memphis alone. Crittenden County, where 100% of West Memphis lies, voted Harris 50.1%, Trump 47.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for West Memphis?
346 full-time and 60 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.9M (about $22.8M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents West Memphis in the state legislature?
West Memphis is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Arkansas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 9 (Reginald Murdock). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about West Memphis’ 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 →