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1937 Iowa High School (Iowa, Louisiana) 02Photo: Tim Fontenot · Public domain
Town Hall · Iowa

How is Iowa run?

Iowa’s town government spent $3.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,123 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Iowa didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Election Day

Today

General election in Louisiana.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$3.5M
year to June 30, 2024 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2024
$1,123
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
Not reported
end of FY2024 · Census estimate
Town staff, 2022
40
full-time · 2 part-time · March payroll $154,772
Typical tax bill
$624
0.25% of home value · LA 0.55%

What stands out about how Iowa is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Runs its own water & sewer26% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (a Census estimate).A shared school districtShares Calcasieu Parish School District with 5 other towns.Lower tax billsThe typical bill is $624 a year: 0.25% of the home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana.
★ What stands out · Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,123 per resident a year, or $3.08 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 39%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 55%Fees & charges 17%Interest, fines & other 11%Utility sales 7%Property taxes 5%Other taxes & licenses 5%From other local governments <1%
An estimate

Iowa didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Building projects $31,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $4 million.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Iowa yet

Every year of Iowa’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the town reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $624 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.25% of the home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Louisiana$1,180
Iowa$624
$624
typical bill a year
0.25%
effective rate
$249,200
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Iowa’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 Iowa’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Iowa →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Iowa

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

Check Iowa’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Iowa yet.
Who works for Iowa

One full-time town employee for every 78 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (3,121).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Police18
Administration & buildings8
Roads & transportation4
Water & other utilities4
Sewer & trash3
Courts, inspections & corrections2
Fire0 + 2 pt
Parks & libraries1
40
full-time
2
part-time
$154,772
payroll for March 2022
$1.9M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$46,000
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
12
sworn police officers
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Iowa’s 2022 budget was a Census estimate, so there is no group to compare with.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Calcasieu Parish School District

Iowa’s K–12 school district, shared with DeQuincy, Lake Charles, Sulphur, Vinton, Westlake. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Iowa →
$17,252
per pupil · LA $15,623
29,282
students
$278.9 million
long-term debt

Of the $17,252 per pupil, $9,239 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 51%State 28%Federal 21%

Louisiana districts overall: 47% local, 34% state, 19% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Who represents Iowa

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Iowa.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Louisiana HouseState representatives
    Skip Broussard
  3. 3
    Louisiana SenateState senator
    Mark Abraham
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Jeff Landry
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Clay Higgins
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Louisiana
    Bill CassidyJohn Kennedy

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Iowa’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Iowa’s government

How much does Iowa spend per resident?

About $1,123 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Iowa didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $4 million.

What is the property tax rate in Iowa?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $624 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.25% 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 Iowa’s government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Iowa yet.

How many people work for Iowa?

40 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $154,772 (about $1.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Iowa in the state legislature?

State Senate District 25 (Mark Abraham) and State House District 37 (Skip Broussard). The House district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Iowa’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 Iowa, 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 →