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Court square Ripley TN 2013-09-14 007Photo: Thomas R Machnitzki (thomasmachnitzki.com) · CC BY 3.0
Town Hall · Ripley

How is Ripley run?

Ripley’s city government spent $11.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,538 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Ripley didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$11.8M
year to June 30, 2024 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2024
$1,538
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$3.2M
end of FY2024 · Census estimate
City staff, 2022
78
full-time · 25 part-time · March payroll $338,662
Typical tax bill
$1,171
0.76% of home value · TN 0.50%

What stands out about how Ripley is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,538 per resident a year, or $4.21 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 28%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 59%From the state 11%Fees & charges 10%Property taxes 8%Interest, fines & other 6%Sales taxes 4%From other local governments <1%Other taxes & licenses <1%
An estimate

Ripley didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Building projects $910,000; interest on debt $320,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $40.8 million.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Ripley yet

Every year of Ripley’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 →
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,171 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.76% of the home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Tennessee$1,442
Ripley$1,171
Henning$739
$1,171
typical bill a year
0.76%
effective rate
$154,900
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Ripley

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

See ripleytenn.com for Ripley’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Ripley yet.ripleytenn.com ↗
Agendas

Ripley’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ripleytenn.com ↗.

Who works for Ripley

One full-time city employee for every 98 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (7,672).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Police30
Fire18
Parks & libraries5 + 20 pt
Roads & transportation10 + 4 pt
Sewer & trash9
Administration & buildings3
Courts, inspections & corrections1 + 1 pt
Health & welfare1
Other1
78
full-time
25
part-time
$338,662
payroll for March 2022
$4.1M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$49,000
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
23
sworn police officers
18
full-time firefighters
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Ripley’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

Lauderdale County School District

Ripley’s K–12 school district, shared with Gates, Halls, Henning. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Ripley →
$12,856
per pupil · TN $13,059
3,360
students
$1 million
long-term debt

Of the $12,856 per pupil, $7,962 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 16%State 59%Federal 25%

Tennessee districts overall: 40% local, 44% state, 16% federal.

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Ripley’s votes are counted by county

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

President · Lauderdale County’s results8,266 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican68.1%5,633 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat31.1%2,571 votes

Others: 0.8% (62 votes).

Most votes in Lauderdale County: Donald J Trump

Tennessee: Trump 64.2%, Harris 34.5%

The county’s page

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

Lauderdale 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 Ripley

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Ripley.

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

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

Next door

How Ripley compares with the towns next door

Ripley’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 0 of the 1 towns next door reported 2022 figures. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Henningestimate$739
Ripleyestimate$1,171

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 Ripley’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Ripley’s government

How much does Ripley spend per resident?

About $1,538 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Ripley didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $40.8 million.

What is the property tax rate in Ripley?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,171 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.76% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ripleytenn.com.

Who runs Ripley’s government?

See ripleytenn.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ripley yet.

How did Ripley vote in 2024?

Tennessee counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ripley alone. Lauderdale County, where 100% of Ripley lies, voted Trump 68.1%, Harris 31.1% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Ripley?

78 full-time and 25 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $338,662 (about $4.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Ripley in the state legislature?

State Senate District 32 (Paul Rose) and State House District 82 (Chris Hurt). The House district also covers 18 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Ripley’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 (for Ripley, 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 →