Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domainHow is Montgomery run?
Montgomery’s city government spent $265.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,347 per resident. Water and other utilities ($49.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Montgomery is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,347 per resident a year, or $3.69 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,024 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Montgomery’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,024 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 200 Alabama cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $700, and the middle half spent $308–$1,291. Montgomery spent more than 64% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($21.5 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Alabama cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Montgomery itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 32% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Montgomery 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: $1,024 · 2023: $1,140 · 2024: $1,347.
full-time in March 2025, up from 2,557 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $643 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.40% of the home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Montgomery’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 Montgomery’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Montgomery →
Who’s in charge in Montgomery
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Montgomery’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on montgomeryal.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 74 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (196,986).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Montgomery County School District
Montgomery’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,924 per pupil, $7,137 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.
Alabama districts overall: 31% local, 53% state, 16% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Montgomery’s votes are counted by county
Alabama reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Montgomery alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Montgomery County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat64.5%57,946 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican33.9%30,477 votesOthers: 1.5% (1,375 votes).
Most votes in Montgomery County: Kamala D Harris
Alabama: Trump 64.6%, Harris 34.1%
100% of Montgomery lies in Montgomery County. Every 2024 race in Montgomery County is on the county’s page.
Montgomery 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
Montgomery sends 6 representatives to the Alabama House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: montgomeryal.gov ↗
- 2Alabama HouseMontgomery is split between 6 districts
- 3Alabama SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Alabama
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Montgomery compares with the towns next door
No neighbor is close in size, so the comparison above uses Alabama cities that don’t run their own schools. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Pike Road | estimate | $1,784 |
| Montgomery | $1,024 | $643 |
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 Montgomery’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Montgomery’s government
How much does Montgomery spend per resident?
About $1,347 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,024 was more than 64% of 200 Alabama cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Montgomery?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $643 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.40% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see montgomeryal.gov.
Who runs Montgomery’s government?
See montgomeryal.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Montgomery yet.
How did Montgomery vote in 2024?
Alabama counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Montgomery alone. Montgomery County, where 100% of Montgomery lies, voted Harris 64.5%, Trump 33.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Montgomery?
2,665 full-time and 154 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $14.7M (about $176.0M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Montgomery in the state legislature?
Montgomery is split among 6 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Alabama Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Montgomery’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 →