Photo: Doncram · CC BY-SA 4.0How is West Plains run?
West Plains’ city government spent $28.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2024, about $2,271 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: West Plains didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how West Plains is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $2,271 per resident a year, or $6.22 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 64%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
West Plains didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for West Plains yet
Every year of West Plains’ figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city 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 →full-time in March 2025, up from 190 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $930 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.55% of the home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at West Plains’ 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 West Plains’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in West Plains →
Who’s in charge in West Plains
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
West Plains’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on westplains.net/index.php ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 64 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (12,528).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
West Plains R-VII School District
West Plains’ K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,111 per pupil, $6,376 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.
Missouri districts overall: 54% local, 35% state, 11% federal.
Fairview R-XI School District · $10,854 per pupil
Richards R-V School District · $11,527 per pupil
Howell Valley R-I School District · $13,044 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
West Plains’ votes are counted by county
Missouri reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for West Plains alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Howell County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican82.9%15,733 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat16.2%3,073 votesOthers: 0.9% (162 votes).
Most votes in Howell County: Donald J Trump
Missouri: Trump 58.5%, Harris 40.1%
100% of West Plains lies in Howell County. Every 2024 race in Howell County is on the county’s page.
Howell County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for West Plains.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: westplains.net/index.php ↗
- 2Missouri HouseState representatives
- 3Missouri SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Missouri
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach West Plains’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about West Plains’ government
How much does West Plains spend per resident?
About $2,271 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (West Plains didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $49.2 million.
What is the property tax rate in West Plains?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $930 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.55% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see westplains.net/index.php.
Who runs West Plains’ government?
See westplains.net/index.php for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for West Plains yet.
How did West Plains vote in 2024?
Missouri counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for West Plains alone. Howell County, where 100% of West Plains lies, voted Trump 82.9%, Harris 16.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for West Plains?
197 full-time and 36 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $894,360 (about $10.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents West Plains in the state legislature?
State Senate District 33 (Brad Hudson) and State House District 154 (Lisa Durnell). The House district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about West Plains’ 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 West Plains, 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 →