Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY 3.0Columbia spent more per resident in 2022 than 97% of similar cities
Columbia’s town government spent $1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $2,753 per resident. Water and other utilities ($156,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Columbia is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$2,753 per resident in 2022: more than 97% of them
Columbia’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,753 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–$864. Columbia spent more than 97% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($108,000), 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; Columbia itself left out).
About $2,753 per resident a year, or $7.54 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Columbia reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $600 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.48% 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 Columbia’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 Columbia’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Columbia →
Who’s in charge in Columbia
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 61 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 (364).
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.
Caldwell Parish School District
Columbia’s K–12 school district, shared with Clarks, Grayson. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,706 per pupil, $10,204 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 Columbia.
- 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 Columbia’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Columbia’s government
How much does Columbia spend per resident?
About $2,753 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,753 was more than 97% of 76 Louisiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Columbia?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $600 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.48% 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 Columbia’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Columbia yet.
How many people work for Columbia?
6 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $48,111 (about $577,332 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Columbia in the state legislature?
State Senate District 32 (Glen Womack) and State House District 20 (Neil Riser). The House district also covers nine other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Columbia’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 →