How is Carmen run?
Carmen’s town government spent $211,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $588 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($112,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Carmen is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $588 per resident a year, or $1.61 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 59%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$588 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Carmen’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($588 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 181 Oklahoma cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $678, and the middle half spent $497–$902. Carmen spent less than 61% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($37,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Oklahoma cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Carmen itself left out).
No trend yet
Carmen reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2023 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $306 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.58% of the home’s value, vs 0.80% across Oklahoma.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Carmen’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 Carmen’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Carmen →
Who’s in charge in Carmen
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 26 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 (359).
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.
Alva Public Schools
Carmen’s K–12 school district, shared with Alva, Dacoma. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
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.
Oklahoma districts overall: 42% local, 45% state, 14% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Carmen’s votes are counted by county
Oklahoma reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Carmen alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Alfalfa County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican87.5%1,891 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat10.9%236 votesOthers: 1.5% (33 votes).
Most votes in Alfalfa County: Donald J Trump
Oklahoma: Trump 66.2%, Harris 31.9%
100% of Carmen lies in Alfalfa County. Every 2024 race in Alfalfa County is on the county’s page.
Alfalfa 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 Carmen.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Oklahoma HouseState representatives
- 3Oklahoma SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Oklahoma
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Carmen’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Carmen’s government
How much does Carmen spend per resident?
About $588 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $588 was less than 61% of 181 Oklahoma cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Carmen?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $306 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.58% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.80% across Oklahoma. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Carmen’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Carmen yet.
How did Carmen vote in 2024?
Oklahoma counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Carmen alone. Alfalfa County, where 100% of Carmen lies, voted Trump 87.5%, Harris 10.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Carmen?
14 full-time and 40 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $15,202 (about $182,424 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Carmen in the state legislature?
State Senate District 19 (Roland Pederson) 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 Carmen’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 →