Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Benton run?
Benton’s town government spent $1.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $506 per resident. Water and other utilities ($603,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Benton is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $506 per resident a year, or $1.39 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 48%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$506 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Benton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($506 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 76 Louisiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $477, and the middle half spent $146–$888. Benton spent more than 53% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($151,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Louisiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Benton itself left out).
No trend yet
Benton reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,062 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.53% of the home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Benton’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 Benton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Benton →
Who’s in charge in Benton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 91 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 (2,092).
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.
Bossier Parish School District
Benton’s K–12 school district, shared with Bossier City, Haughton, Plain Dealing. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,060 per pupil, $8,024 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.
Louisiana districts overall: 47% local, 34% state, 19% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Benton.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Louisiana HouseState representatives
- 3Louisiana SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Louisiana
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Benton’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Benton’s government
How much does Benton spend per resident?
About $506 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 $506 was more than 53% of 76 Louisiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Benton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,062 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.53% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Benton’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Benton yet.
How many people work for Benton?
23 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $81,562 (about $978,744 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Benton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 36 (Adam Bass) and State House District 8 (Raymond Crews). The House district also covers parts of 1 neighboring town. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Benton’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 →