Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0Arkansas City runs its own hospital
Arkansas City’s city government spent $17.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,483 per resident. It also runs a hospital ($1.4 million) and water utilities ($2.6 million), counted separately. Census Bureau figures.
What stands out about how Arkansas City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,483 per resident a year, or $4.06 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Arkansas City yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Arkansas City’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported 45% 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 (hospital, health & welfare left out), the same as 107 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $1,531 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.76% of the home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Arkansas City’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 Arkansas City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Arkansas City →
Who’s in charge in Arkansas City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Arkansas City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on arkansascityks.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 111 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
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 (11,923).
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.
Arkansas City Unified School District 470
Arkansas City’s K–12 school district, shared with Creswell Township, Parkerfield, Bolton Township, Silverdale Township, Walton Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,619 per pupil, $9,590 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.
Kansas districts overall: 28% local, 61% state, 11% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Arkansas City voted in 2024
Official results for Arkansas City’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican65.2%2,302 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat33.1%1,169 votesOthers: 1.8% (62 votes).
Most votes in Arkansas City: Donald J Trump
Cowley County: Trump 69.3%, Harris 29.0% · Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
of Arkansas City’s 8,533 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Kansas: 62%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in the district: Ron Estes
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Arkansas City, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas City | 65.2% | 33.1% | 1.8% | 3,533 |
| Cowley County | 69.3% | 29.0% | 1.7% | 13,505 |
| Kansas | 57.2% | 41.0% | 1.8% | 1,327,591 |
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 Arkansas City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: arkansascityks.gov ↗
- 2Kansas HouseArkansas City is split between 2 districts
- 3Kansas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kansas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Arkansas City compares with the towns next door
Arkansas City’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $107 to $182 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Parkerfield | $107 | $3,521 |
| Creswell Township | $122 | $2,636 |
| Pleasant Valley Township | $151 | $3,095 |
| Bolton Township | $182 | $1,541 |
| Arkansas City | estimate | $1,531 |
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 Arkansas City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Arkansas City’s government
How much does Arkansas City spend per resident?
About $1,483 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. Arkansas City also runs a hospital ($1.4 million), counted separately.
What is the property tax rate in Arkansas City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,531 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.76% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see arkansascityks.gov.
Who runs Arkansas City’s government?
See arkansascityks.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Arkansas City yet.
How did Arkansas City vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 65.2%, Kamala D Harris 33.1% (3,533 votes, official results). Cowley County: Trump 69.3%, Harris 29.0%. Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%.
How many people work for Arkansas City?
107 full-time and 29 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 128 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $1.4M (about $16.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Arkansas City in the state legislature?
Arkansas City is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Kansas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 32 (Larry Alley). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Arkansas City’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 →