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Central National BankCentral National Bank · Photo: Zeugzeug · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Alva

Alva runs its own hospital

Alva’s city government spent $8.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,725 per resident. It also runs a hospital ($18.2 million), water utilities ($682,000) and an airport ($596,000), counted separately. Census Bureau figures.

Town website
Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Oklahoma.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$8.6M
year to June 30, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,725
2022 was an estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$12.0M
end of FY2024, reported
City staff, 2025
58
full-time, hospital & welfare staff apart (152 in all) · March payroll $925,328
Typical tax bill
$850
0.64% of home value · OK 0.80%

What stands out about how Alva is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,725 per resident a year, or $4.73 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 18%.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 63%Sales taxes 14%Interest, fines & other 11%From the state 6%Utility sales 6%Other taxes & licenses <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $5.7 million; interest on debt $550,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $34.5 million.
Why the hospital is apart.The Census Bureau counts the hospital it runs in the city’s books ($18.2 million, 65% of all operations). Only 135 of the 11,301 towns and cities of 2,500+ run one (Census finance files), so it is shown here and left out of every per-resident comparison.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Alva yet

The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Alva’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported 43% of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2024 only (2022 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
City staff
58

full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), up from 56 in 2022.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $850 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.64% of the home’s value, vs 0.80% across Oklahoma.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Oklahoma$1,599
Alva$850
$850
typical bill a year
0.64%
effective rate
$133,600
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Alva’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 Alva’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Alva →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Alva

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See alvaok.org for Alva’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Alva yet.alvaok.org ↗
Agendas

Alva’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on alvaok.org ↗.

Who works for Alva

One full-time city employee for every 86 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff

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 (4,998).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Fire11 + 15 pt
Parks & libraries8 + 7 pt
Police10 + 1 pt
Roads & transportation9
Sewer & trash9
Water & other utilities7
Administration & buildings3
Other1
Run separately
Hospital, health & welfare94 + 30 pt
58
full-time, hospital, health & welfare apart
53
part-time
$925,328
payroll for March 2025
$11.1M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$68,400
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
10
sworn police officers
11
full-time firefighters
The hospital.The 94 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff include the hospital the city runs, so they are counted apart, as the hospitals are in the budget. The payroll figures cover every employee, the hospital’s included: the Census file doesn’t split pay by function.
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Alva’s 2022 budget was a Census estimate, so there is no group to compare with.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Alva Public Schools

Alva’s K–12 school district, shared with Carmen, Dacoma. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Alva →
$14,742
per pupil · OK $12,210
1,033
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $14,742 per pupil, $8,434 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 53%State 39%Federal 8%

Oklahoma districts overall: 42% local, 45% state, 14% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Alva’s votes are counted by county

Oklahoma reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Alva alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Woods County’s results.

President · Woods County’s results3,638 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican81.2%2,955 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat16.9%614 votes

Others: 1.9% (69 votes).

Most votes in Woods County: Donald J Trump

Oklahoma: Trump 66.2%, Harris 31.9%

The county’s page

100% of Alva lies in Woods County. Every 2024 race in Woods County is on the county’s page.

Woods County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Alva

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Alva.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: alvaok.org ↗
  2. 2
    Oklahoma HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Oklahoma SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Oklahoma

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Alva’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Alva’s government

How much does Alva spend per resident?

About $1,725 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. Alva also runs a hospital ($18.2 million), counted separately.

What is the property tax rate in Alva?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $850 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.64% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.80% across Oklahoma. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see alvaok.org.

Who runs Alva’s government?

See alvaok.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Alva yet.

How did Alva vote in 2024?

Oklahoma counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Alva alone. Woods County, where 100% of Alva lies, voted Trump 81.2%, Harris 16.9% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Alva?

58 full-time and 53 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 94 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $925,328 (about $11.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Alva in the state legislature?

State Senate District 27 (Casey Murdock) and State House District 58 (Carl Newton). The House district also covers 26 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Alva’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →