Photo: Fredlyfish4 · CC BY-SA 3.0Tupelo spent more per resident in 2022 than 67% of similar cities
Tupelo’s city government spent $55.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,463 per resident. Water and other utilities ($61.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Tupelo is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,179 per resident in 2022: more than 67% of them
Tupelo’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,179 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 18 Mississippi cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,041, and the middle half spent $969–$1,247. Tupelo spent more than 67% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($7.9 million), 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 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Tupelo itself left out).
About $1,463 per resident a year, or $4.01 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 22% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Tupelo 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: $1,179 · 2023: $1,360 · 2024: $1,463.
full-time in March 2025, up from 488 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,651 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.78% 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 Tupelo’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.
Tax bills are one input to Tupelo’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Tupelo →
Who’s in charge in Tupelo
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Tupelo’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on tupeloms.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 71 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (37,748).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Tupelo Public School District
Tupelo’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,743 per pupil, $7,279 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.
Lee County School District · $11,326 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Tupelo’s votes are counted by county
Mississippi reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Tupelo alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lee County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican68.9%24,339 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat30.0%10,616 votesOthers: 1.1% (383 votes).
Most votes in Lee County: Donald J Trump
Mississippi: Trump 60.9%, Harris 38.0%
100% of Tupelo lies in Lee County. Every 2024 race in Lee County is on the county’s page.
Lee 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
Tupelo sends 4 representatives to the Mississippi House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: tupeloms.gov ↗
- 2Mississippi HouseTupelo is split between 4 districts
- 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.
How Tupelo compares with the towns next door
Tupelo spent $1,179 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $419 to $464. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Tupelo’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Tupelo’s government
How much does Tupelo spend per resident?
About $1,463 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 $1,179 was more than 67% of 18 Mississippi cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Tupelo?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,651 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.78% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Mississippi. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see tupeloms.gov.
Who runs Tupelo’s government?
See tupeloms.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Tupelo yet.
How did Tupelo vote in 2024?
Mississippi counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Tupelo alone. Lee County, where 100% of Tupelo lies, voted Trump 68.9%, Harris 30.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Tupelo?
532 full-time and 51 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.7M (about $32.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Tupelo in the state legislature?
Tupelo is split among 4 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Mississippi Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Tupelo’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 →