Photo: Chillin662 · CC BY-SA 4.0Shaw spent less per resident in 2022 than 68% of similar cities
Shaw’s city government spent $556,000 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $336 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($158,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Shaw is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$336 per resident in 2022: less than 68% of them
Shaw’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($336 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. Shaw spent less than 68% 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; Shaw itself left out).
About $336 per resident a year, or $0.92 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 43%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Shaw reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2023 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $828 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.81% 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 Shaw’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 Shaw’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Shaw →
Who’s in charge in Shaw
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 184 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 (1,655).
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.
West Bolivar Consolidated School District
Shaw’s K–12 school district, shared with Benoit, Beulah, Gunnison, Pace, Rosedale. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,276 per pupil, $7,629 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.
Shaw’s votes are counted by county
Mississippi reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Shaw alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Bolivar County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat61.5%6,419 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican37.8%3,943 votesOthers: 0.7% (73 votes).
Most votes in Bolivar County: Kamala D Harris
Mississippi: Trump 60.9%, Harris 38.0%
100% of Shaw lies in Bolivar County; the rest in Sunflower County. Every 2024 race in Bolivar County is on the county’s page.
Bolivar 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 Shaw.
- 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 Shaw’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Shaw’s government
How much does Shaw spend per resident?
About $336 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 $336 was less than 68% of 98 Mississippi cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Shaw?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $828 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.81% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Mississippi. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Shaw’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Shaw yet.
How did Shaw vote in 2024?
Mississippi counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Shaw alone. Bolivar County, where 100% of Shaw lies, voted Harris 61.5%, Trump 37.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Shaw?
9 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $47,172 (about $566,064 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Shaw in the state legislature?
State Senate District 13 (Sarita Simmons) and State House District 31 (Otis Anthony). The House district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Shaw’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 →