Wilder House · Photo: Jonathan Fricker · Public domainHow is Chatham run?
Chatham’s town government spent $257,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $537 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Chatham didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Chatham is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $537 per resident a year, or $1.47 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 47%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Chatham didn’t report all of its 2023 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Chatham yet
Every year of Chatham’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the town reported none of its dollars for 2022–2023. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $199 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.47% 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 Chatham’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 Chatham’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Chatham →
Who’s in charge in Chatham
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Chatham’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on townofchatham.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 120 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (479).
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.
Jackson Parish School District
Chatham’s K–12 school district, shared with East Hodge, Eros, Hodge, Jonesboro, North Hodge and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,996 per pupil, $9,443 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 Chatham.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: townofchatham.org ↗
- 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 Chatham’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Chatham’s government
How much does Chatham spend per resident?
About $537 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, a Census Bureau estimate (Chatham didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $919,000.
What is the property tax rate in Chatham?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $199 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.47% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see townofchatham.org.
Who runs Chatham’s government?
See townofchatham.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Chatham yet.
How many people work for Chatham?
4 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $11,172 (about $134,064 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Chatham in the state legislature?
State Senate District 35 (Jay Morris) and State House District 13 (Jack McFarland). The House district also covers 24 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Chatham’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 (for Chatham, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →