Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Billings spent more per resident in 2022 than 74% of similar cities
Billings’ city government spent $135.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,127 per resident. Water and other utilities ($21.9 million) and the airport ($9.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Billings is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Billings
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: billingsmt.gov ↗
Billings’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on billingsmt.gov ↗.
About $1,127 per resident a year, or $3.09 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,063 per resident in 2022: more than 74% of them
Billings’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,063 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 65 Montana cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $875, and the middle half spent $546–$1,068. Billings spent more than 74% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($24.1 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 →
Montana cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Billings itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 16% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Billings 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: $1,063 · 2023: $1,155 · 2024: $1,127. Per resident it went from $1,063 to $1,127 (up 6%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 109,736 to 119,960.
full-time in March 2025, up from 904 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,887 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.84% of the home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Billings’ 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 Billings’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Billings →
One full-time city employee for every 114 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (119,960).
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.
Billings High School District
Billings’ high school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,650 per pupil, $7,237 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.
Montana districts overall: 44% local, 39% state, 17% federal.
Billings Elementary School District · $12,131 per pupil
Elysian Elementary School District · $11,209 per pupil
Blue Creek Elementary School District · $9,435 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Billings’ votes are counted by county
Montana reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Billings alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Yellowstone County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican62.0%50,460 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat34.9%28,392 votesOthers: 3.1% (2,539 votes).
Most votes in Yellowstone County: Donald J Trump
Montana: Trump 58.4%, Harris 38.5%
100% of Billings lies in Yellowstone County. Every 2024 race in Yellowstone County is on the county’s page.
Yellowstone 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
Billings sends 13 representatives to the Montana House alone.
- 1Your cityMayorBill Coleas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Montana HouseBillings is split between 13 districts
- 3Montana SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Montana
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Billings compares with the towns next door
No neighbor is close in size, so the comparison above uses Montana cities that don’t run their own schools. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Billings | $1,063 | $2,887 |
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 Billings’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Billings’ government
How much does Billings spend per resident?
About $1,127 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 $1,063 was more than 74% of 65 Montana cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Billings?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,887 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.84% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see billingsmt.gov.
Who is the mayor of Billings?
Bill Cole, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on billingsmt.gov.
How did Billings vote in 2024?
Montana counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Billings alone. Yellowstone County, where 100% of Billings lies, voted Trump 62.0%, Harris 34.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Billings?
1,048 full-time and 195 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $7.6M (about $91.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Billings in the state legislature?
Billings is split among 13 State House districts and 8 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Montana Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Billings’ 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 →