How is Pickens run?
Pickens’ town government spent $506,000 on day-to-day services in the year to August 31, 2022, about $518 per resident. Water and other utilities ($227,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Pickens is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $518 per resident a year, or $1.42 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 34%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$518 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Pickens’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($518 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. Pickens spent more than 55% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($146,000), 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; Pickens itself left out).
No trend yet
Pickens reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $925 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.11% 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 Pickens’ 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 Pickens’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Pickens →
Who’s in charge in Pickens
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 98 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 (976).
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.
Holmes County Consolidated School District
Pickens’ K–12 school district, shared with Cruger, Durant, Goodman, Lexington, Tchula and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,344 per pupil, $7,120 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.
Pickens’ votes are counted by county
Mississippi reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Pickens alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Holmes County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat80.5%5,420 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican18.5%1,243 votesOthers: 1.0% (67 votes).
Most votes in Holmes County: Kamala D Harris
Mississippi: Trump 60.9%, Harris 38.0%
100% of Pickens lies in Holmes County. Every 2024 race in Holmes County is on the county’s page.
Holmes 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 Pickens.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal 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 Pickens’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Pickens’ government
How much does Pickens spend per resident?
About $518 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to August 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $518 was more than 55% of 98 Mississippi cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Pickens?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $925 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.11% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Mississippi. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Pickens’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Pickens yet.
How did Pickens vote in 2024?
Mississippi counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Pickens alone. Holmes County, where 100% of Pickens lies, voted Harris 80.5%, Trump 18.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Pickens?
10 full-time and 15 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $37,958 (about $455,496 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Pickens in the state legislature?
State Senate District 21 (Bradford Blackmon) and State House District 47 (Bryant Clark). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Pickens’ 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 →