Photo: Ktkvtsh · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Decatur run?
Decatur’s town government spent $883,000 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $510 per resident. Water and other utilities ($162,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Decatur is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $510 per resident a year, or $1.40 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 38%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$510 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Decatur’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($510 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 98 Mississippi cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $453, and the middle half spent $216–$850. Decatur spent more than 53% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($239,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Mississippi cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Decatur itself left out).
No trend yet
Decatur reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $957 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.74% of the home’s value, vs 0.72% across Mississippi.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Decatur’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 Decatur’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Decatur →
Who’s in charge in Decatur
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Decatur’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on decaturms.org/index.php ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 173 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,733).
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.
Newton County School District
Decatur’s K–12 school district, shared with Chunky, Hickory, Lake. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,419 per pupil, $7,138 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.
Decatur’s votes are counted by county
Mississippi reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Decatur alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Newton County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican71.2%6,641 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat27.9%2,603 votesOthers: 0.8% (79 votes).
Most votes in Newton County: Donald J Trump
Mississippi: Trump 60.9%, Harris 38.0%
100% of Decatur lies in Newton County. Every 2024 race in Newton County is on the county’s page.
Newton 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 Decatur.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: decaturms.org/index.php ↗
- 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 Decatur’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Decatur’s government
How much does Decatur spend per resident?
About $510 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $510 was more than 53% of 98 Mississippi cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Decatur?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $957 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.74% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Mississippi. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see decaturms.org/index.php.
Who runs Decatur’s government?
See decaturms.org/index.php for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Decatur yet.
How did Decatur vote in 2024?
Mississippi counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Decatur alone. Newton County, where 100% of Decatur lies, voted Trump 71.2%, Harris 27.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Decatur?
10 full-time and 16 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $35,863 (about $430,356 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Decatur in the state legislature?
State Senate District 31 (Tyler McCaughn) and State House District 78 (Randy Rushing). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Decatur’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; 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 →