Photo: Clinton Steeds · CC BY 2.0How is Poteau run?
Poteau’s city government spent $8.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $961 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Poteau didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Poteau is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $961 per resident a year, or $2.63 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Poteau didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Poteau yet
Every year of Poteau’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,027 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.65% 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 Poteau’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 Poteau’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Poteau →
Who’s in charge in Poteau
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Poteau’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on poteau-ok.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 85 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (8,959).
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.
Poteau Public Schools
Poteau’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,580 per pupil, $6,746 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.
Howe Public Schools · $14,075 per pupil
Wister Public Schools · $13,418 per pupil
Monroe Public School · $14,398 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Poteau’s votes are counted by county
Oklahoma reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Poteau alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Le Flore County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican81.8%15,333 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat17.0%3,184 votesOthers: 1.3% (237 votes).
Most votes in Le Flore County: Donald J Trump
Oklahoma: Trump 66.2%, Harris 31.9%
100% of Poteau lies in Le Flore County. Every 2024 race in Le Flore County is on the county’s page.
Le Flore 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 Poteau.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: poteau-ok.com ↗
- 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.
How Poteau compares with the towns next door
Poteau’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 1 of the 2 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $617 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Wister | $617 | $661 |
| Shady Point | estimate | $652 |
| Poteau | estimate | $1,027 |
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 Poteau’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Poteau’s government
How much does Poteau spend per resident?
About $961 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Poteau didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $19.8 million.
What is the property tax rate in Poteau?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,027 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.65% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.80% across Oklahoma. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see poteau-ok.com.
Who runs Poteau’s government?
See poteau-ok.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Poteau yet.
How did Poteau vote in 2024?
Oklahoma counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Poteau alone. Le Flore County, where 100% of Poteau lies, voted Trump 81.8%, Harris 17.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Poteau?
106 full-time and 50 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $482,818 (about $5.8M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Poteau in the state legislature?
State Senate District 5 (George Burns) and State House District 3 (Rick West). The House district also covers 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Poteau’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 (for Poteau, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →