Photo: Natalie Maynor · CC BY 2.0How is Raleigh run?
Raleigh’s town government spent $920,000 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $851 per resident. Water and other utilities ($258,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Raleigh is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $851 per resident a year, or $2.33 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 38%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$390 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Raleigh’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($390 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 $464, and the middle half spent $216–$850. Raleigh spent less than 59% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($210,000), 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; Raleigh itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 70% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Raleigh reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $390 · 2024: $851. Per resident it went from $390 to $851 (up 118%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,390 to 1,081.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $482 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.43% 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 Raleigh’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 Raleigh’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Raleigh →
Who’s in charge in Raleigh
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 135 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (1,081).
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.
Smith County School District
Raleigh’s K–12 school district, shared with Mize, Polkville, Sylvarena, Taylorsville. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $10,175 per pupil, $5,908 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.
Raleigh’s votes are counted by county
Mississippi reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Raleigh alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Smith County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican80.1%6,146 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat19.4%1,486 votesOthers: 0.6% (44 votes).
Most votes in Smith County: Donald J Trump
Mississippi: Trump 60.9%, Harris 38.0%
100% of Raleigh lies in Smith County. Every 2024 race in Smith County is on the county’s page.
Smith 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 Raleigh.
- 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 Raleigh’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Raleigh’s government
How much does Raleigh spend per resident?
About $851 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $390 was less than 59% of 98 Mississippi cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Raleigh?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $482 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.43% 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 Raleigh’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Raleigh yet.
How did Raleigh vote in 2024?
Mississippi counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Raleigh alone. Smith County, where 100% of Raleigh lies, voted Trump 80.1%, Harris 19.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Raleigh?
8 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $34,949 (about $419,388 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Raleigh in the state legislature?
State Senate District 36 (Brian Rhodes) and State House District 79 (Mark Tullos). The House district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Raleigh’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 →