Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Spencer spent more per resident in 2022 than 77% of similar cities
Spencer’s city government spent $1.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $898 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Spencer is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$863 per resident in 2022: more than 77% of them
Spencer’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($863 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 113 Tennessee cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $574, and the middle half spent $297–$812. Spencer spent more than 77% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($333,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Tennessee cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Spencer itself left out).
About $898 per resident a year, or $2.46 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 8% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Spencer 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: $863 · 2024: $898. Per resident it went from $863 to $898 (up 4%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,710 to 1,520.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $608 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.40% of the home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Spencer’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 Spencer’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Spencer →
Who’s in charge in Spencer
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 127 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 (1,520).
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.
Van Buren County School District
Spencer’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,279 per pupil, $7,683 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.
Tennessee districts overall: 40% local, 44% state, 16% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Spencer’s votes are counted by county
Tennessee reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Spencer alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Van Buren County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican83.2%2,718 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat16.0%524 votesOthers: 0.7% (23 votes).
Most votes in Van Buren County: Donald J Trump
Tennessee: Trump 64.2%, Harris 34.5%
100% of Spencer lies in Van Buren County. Every 2024 race in Van Buren County is on the county’s page.
Van Buren 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 Spencer.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Tennessee HouseState representatives
- 3Tennessee SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Tennessee
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Spencer’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Spencer’s government
How much does Spencer spend per resident?
About $898 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $863 was more than 77% of 113 Tennessee cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Spencer?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $608 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.40% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Spencer’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Spencer yet.
How did Spencer vote in 2024?
Tennessee counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Spencer alone. Van Buren County, where 100% of Spencer lies, voted Trump 83.2%, Harris 16.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Spencer?
12 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $50,109 (about $601,308 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Spencer in the state legislature?
State Senate District 15 (Paul Bailey) and State House District 31 (Ron Travis). The House district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Spencer’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 →