Photo: Wikilester1999 · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Natchitoches run?
Natchitoches’ city government spent $26.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to May 31, 2022, about $1,517 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($27.7 million) and the airport ($3.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Natchitoches is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,517 per resident a year, or $4.16 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,517 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Natchitoches’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,517 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 18 Louisiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,552, and the middle half spent $1,200–$1,768. Natchitoches spent less than 56% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($5.7 million), 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Natchitoches itself left out).
No trend yet
Natchitoches reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2023, 2024 are estimates), so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $772 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.40% 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 Natchitoches’ 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 Natchitoches’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Natchitoches →
Who’s in charge in Natchitoches
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Natchitoches’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on natchitochesla.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 53 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 2022 finance file (17,190).
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.
Natchitoches Parish School District
Natchitoches’ K–12 school district, shared with Ashland, Campti, Clarence, Goldonna, Natchez and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,362 per pupil, $10,507 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 Natchitoches.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: natchitochesla.gov ↗
- 2Louisiana HouseNatchitoches is split between 3 districts
- 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 Natchitoches’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Natchitoches’ government
How much does Natchitoches spend per resident?
About $1,517 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to May 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,517 was less than 56% of 18 Louisiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Natchitoches?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $772 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.40% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see natchitochesla.gov.
Who runs Natchitoches’ government?
See natchitochesla.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Natchitoches yet.
How many people work for Natchitoches?
327 full-time and 80 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1.3M (about $15.9M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Natchitoches in the state legislature?
Natchitoches is split among 3 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Louisiana Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Natchitoches’ 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 →