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Saint Joseph, LA entrance sign (2013) IMG 7488 1Photo: Billy Hathorn · Public domain
Town Hall · St. Joseph

How is St. Joseph run?

St. Joseph’s town government spent $1.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $1,552 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: St. Joseph didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Day-to-day spending, 2022
$1.5M
year to June 30, 2022 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2022
$1,552
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$176,000
end of FY2022 · Census estimate
Town staff, 2022
8
full-time · 8 part-time · March payroll $31,618 · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$199
0.34% of home value · LA 0.55%

What stands out about how St. Joseph is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Runs its own water & sewer24% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (a Census estimate).A shared school districtShares Tensas Parish School District with 2 other towns.Lower tax billsThe typical bill is $199 a year: 0.34% of the home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana.
★ What stands out · Your share of the 2022 budget

About $1,552 per resident a year, or $4.25 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 29%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 43%Property taxes 15%Fees & charges 13%Other taxes & licenses 12%Utility sales 8%From the state 7%Interest, fines & other 2%From other local governments <1%
An estimate

St. Joseph didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Building projects $56,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $1.7 million.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for St. Joseph yet

Every year of St. Joseph’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the town reported none of its dollars for 2022. 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 $199 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.34% of the home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Louisiana$1,180
St. Joseph$199
$199
typical bill a year
0.34%
effective rate
$59,100
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in St. Joseph

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

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

One full-time town employee for every 118 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 (945).

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

Water & other utilities5
Administration & buildings0 + 8 pt
Police3
8
full-time
8
part-time
$31,618
payroll for March 2022
$379,416
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$36,700
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
3
sworn police officers
Estimates.St. Joseph didn’t report its staff figures; these are the Census Bureau’s estimates, so they aren’t compared with other towns.

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

Tensas Parish School District

St. Joseph’s K–12 school district, shared with Newellton, Waterproof. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in St. Joseph →
$21,147
per pupil · LA $15,623
341
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $21,147 per pupil, $9,642 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 41%State 28%Federal 31%

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

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

Who represents St. Joseph

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for St. Joseph.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Louisiana HouseState representatives
    Travis Johnson
  3. 3
    Louisiana SenateState senator
    Katrina Jackson-Andrews
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Jeff Landry
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Julia Letlow
  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 St. Joseph’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about St. Joseph’s government

How much does St. Joseph spend per resident?

About $1,552 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (St. Joseph didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $1.7 million.

What is the property tax rate in St. Joseph?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $199 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.34% 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 St. Joseph’s government?

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

How many people work for St. Joseph?

8 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $31,618 (about $379,416 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents St. Joseph in the state legislature?

State Senate District 34 (Katrina Jackson-Andrews) and State House District 21 (Travis Johnson). The House district also covers 13 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about St. Joseph’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 St. Joseph, 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 →