Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domainHow is Port Arthur run?
Port Arthur’s city government spent $112.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $2,032 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Port Arthur didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Port Arthur is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
6 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Port Arthur’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov17City CouncilTuesday · 4:00 pm · 444 4th Street, City Hall Council ChambersCity Council Special Executive Meeting (Night)Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov17City CouncilTuesday · 5:30 pm · 444 4th Street, City Hall Council ChambersCity Council Night MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec15City CouncilTuesday · 5:30 pm · 444 4th Street, City Hall Council ChambersCity Council Night MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec29City CouncilTuesday · 9:30 am · 444 4th Street, City Hall Council ChambersCity Council Regular Meeting MorningsMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Jan12City CouncilTuesday · 4:00 pm · 444 4th Street, City Hall Council ChambersCity Council Special Executive Meeting (Night)Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Jan12City CouncilTuesday · 5:30 pm · 444 4th Street, City Hall Council ChambersCity Council Night MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Nov3City CouncilTuesday · 9:30 am · 444 4th Street, City Hall Council ChambersCity Council Regular Meeting MorningsMeeting page ↗
- Oct20City CouncilTuesday · 5:30 pm · 444 4th Street, City Hall Council ChambersCity Council Night MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Oct6City CouncilTuesday · 9:30 am · 444 4th Street, City Hall Council ChambersCity Council Regular Meeting MorningsMeeting page ↗
- Sep29GeneralTuesday · 6:00 pmItem Creation TrainingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Sep22City CouncilTuesday · 5:30 pm · 444 4th Street, City Hall Council ChambersCity Council Night MeetingMeeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $2,032 per resident a year, or $5.57 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Port Arthur 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 Port Arthur yet
Every year of Port Arthur’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 $1,521 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.42% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Port Arthur’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 Port Arthur’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Port Arthur →
Who’s in charge in Port Arthur
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 83 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 (55,579).
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.
Port Arthur Independent School District
Port Arthur’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,260 per pupil, $7,515 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.
Texas districts overall: 51% local, 36% state, 13% federal.
Sabine Pass Independent School District · $25,148 per pupil
Port Neches-Groves Independent School District · $11,481 per pupil
Bridge City Independent School District · $10,024 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Port Arthur’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Port Arthur alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Jefferson County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican53.9%46,596 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat45.0%38,936 votesOthers: 1.0% (901 votes).
Most votes in Jefferson County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Port Arthur lies in Jefferson County; the rest in Orange County. Every 2024 race in Jefferson County is on the county’s page.
Jefferson 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 Port Arthur.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: portarthurtx.gov ↗
- 2Texas HousePort Arthur is split between 2 districts
- 3Texas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Texas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Port Arthur compares with the towns next door
Port Arthur’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 2 of the 3 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $991 to $1,043 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Nederland | $991 | $3,216 |
| Port Neches | $1,043 | $4,046 |
| Groves | estimate | $2,724 |
| Port Arthur | estimate | $1,521 |
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 Port Arthur’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Port Arthur’s government
How much does Port Arthur spend per resident?
About $2,032 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Port Arthur didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $139.9 million.
What is the property tax rate in Port Arthur?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,521 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.42% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see portarthurtx.gov.
Who runs Port Arthur’s government?
See portarthurtx.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Port Arthur yet.
How did Port Arthur vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Port Arthur alone. Jefferson County, where 100% of Port Arthur lies, voted Trump 53.9%, Harris 45.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Port Arthur?
671 full-time and 28 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $4.3M (about $51.3M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Port Arthur in the state legislature?
Port Arthur is split among 2 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Texas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Port Arthur?
The next posted meeting is City Council on Tuesday, November 17, at 4:00 pm in 444 4th Street, City Hall Council Chambers, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Port Arthur’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 Port Arthur, 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 →