Town Hall · Laurel

Laurel, MS town hall & government

Laurel spent $47.6 million in the year to September 30, 2024, about $2,790 per resident.

Where the money goes, where it comes from, property taxes, and how to reach Laurel's government.

Local leadership

Who runs Laurel

From public records (Open States and Wikidata), which can lag behind an election. If a name is out of date, tell us: when two neighbors agree, it's hidden until the records catch up.

Town budget

Where Laurel's money goes

Spent
$47.6 million
fiscal year to September 30, 2024
Per resident
$2,790
typical Mississippi cities: $2,292
Long-term debt
$43.8 million
$2,568 per resident
Sewer & trash
$8.5 million18%
Parks & libraries
$7.6 million16%
Roads & transportation
$6.5 million14%
Water & other utilities
$6.2 million13%
Police
$5.9 million12%
Fire
$5.6 million12%
Administration & buildings
$2.4 million5%
Interest on debt
$1.3 million3%
Courts, inspections & corrections
$1 million2%
Paid to other governments
$604,0001%
Health & welfare
$439,0001%
Other
$1.6 million3%

Where the money comes from

  • From the state 27%
  • Fees & charges 20%
  • Property taxes 19%
  • Utility sales 12%
  • From the federal government 9%
  • Interest, fines & other 8%
  • Sales taxes 4%
  • Other taxes & licenses 1%
Town workforce · Census estimate

Who works for Laurel

Full-time staff
273
34 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$47,800
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
54
and 64 full-time firefighters
Police
71 full-time11 part
Fire
65 full-time
Parks & libraries
36 full-time8 part
Sewer & trash
26 full-time
Administration & buildings
16 full-time13 part
Roads & transportation
15 full-time
Courts, inspections & corrections
7 full-time2 part
Health & welfare
4 full-time
Water & other utilities
2 full-time
Other
31 full-time

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2025. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate. Laurel didn't report its staffing to the Census Bureau, so these are the Bureau's estimates.

Schools · school year 2023–24

Laurel School District

Laurel's K–12 school district. It is its own government, with a budget separate from the town's.

Spending per pupil
$12,464
Mississippi: $12,392
Students
2,648
in the whole district
Long-term debt
$17.1 million
at year end

Where the district's money comes from Mississippi districts overall: 33% local, 45% state, 23% federal

  • Local 32%
  • State 31%
  • Federal 37%

Of the $12,464 per pupil, $6,262 goes to classroom instruction (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to support services such as buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren't in the per-pupil figure.

Also serving Laurel: Jones County School District ($10,265 per pupil).

Property tax

What homeowners in Laurel pay

Typical tax bill
$1,268
a year · Mississippi typical $1,215
Effective rate
1.01%
of home value · Mississippi 0.72%
Typical home value
$125,800
owner-occupied

The median yearly bill homeowners report, covering every local property tax on the home (town, schools, county). The effective rate is that bill divided by the median home value, so it's a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Local

Contact Laurel's government

🏛️ Official websitelaurelms.com ↗
Town hall phone(601) 428-6432

Town hall & decisions in Laurel →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Laurel

Laurel is represented in Congress by Senators Roger F. Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith and Representatives Mike Ezell and Michael Guest. Tate Reeves is governor.

All of Laurel's representatives, with contacts →

Budget: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Finance (every city and town government's revenue, spending and debt, grouped into plain categories). Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

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Laurel

Mississippi · MS
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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01