How is Charleston run?
Charleston’s city government spent $2 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,120 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Charleston didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Charleston is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,120 per resident a year, or $3.07 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Charleston 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 Charleston yet
Every year of Charleston’s 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 →Who’s in charge in Charleston
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 88 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 2024 finance file (1,757).
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.
East Tallahatchie School District
Charleston’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,553 per pupil, $8,558 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.
Mississippi districts overall: 33% local, 45% state, 23% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Charleston’s votes are counted by county
Mississippi reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Charleston alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Tallahatchie County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat52.5%2,630 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican46.5%2,333 votesOthers: 1.0% (49 votes).
Most votes in Tallahatchie County: Kamala D Harris
Mississippi: Trump 60.9%, Harris 38.0%
100% of Charleston lies in Tallahatchie County. Every 2024 race in Tallahatchie County is on the county’s page.
Tallahatchie 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 Charleston.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Mississippi HouseState representatives
- 3Mississippi SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Mississippi
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Charleston’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Charleston’s government
How much does Charleston spend per resident?
About $1,120 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Charleston didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $2.6 million.
Who runs Charleston’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Charleston yet.
How did Charleston vote in 2024?
Mississippi counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Charleston alone. Tallahatchie County, where 100% of Charleston lies, voted Harris 52.5%, Trump 46.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Charleston?
20 full-time and 23 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $72,758 (about $873,096 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Charleston in the state legislature?
State Senate District 24 (Justin Pope) and State House District 30 (Tracey Rosebud). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Charleston’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 (for Charleston, 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 →