Photo: J.B. Chandler · CC BY-SA 3.0Chinook spent more per resident in 2022 than 96% of similar cities
Chinook’s city government spent $1.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $1,350 per resident. Water and other utilities ($508,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Chinook is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,350 per resident in 2022: more than 96% of them
Chinook’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,350 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 51 Montana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $804, and the middle half spent $431–$998. Chinook spent more than 96% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($520,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Montana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Chinook itself left out).
About $1,350 per resident a year, or $3.70 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 31%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Chinook reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, up from 15 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $2,337 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.09% 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 Chinook’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 Chinook’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Chinook →
Who’s in charge in Chinook
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Chinook’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on chinookmontana.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 47 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,230).
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.
Chinook Elementary School District
Chinook’s elementary school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,706 per pupil, $8,986 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.
Chinook High School District · $20,915 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Chinook’s votes are counted by county
Montana reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Chinook alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Blaine County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican50.5%1,526 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat44.7%1,348 votesOthers: 4.8% (145 votes).
Most votes in Blaine County: Donald J Trump
Montana: Trump 58.4%, Harris 38.5%
100% of Chinook lies in Blaine County. Every 2024 race in Blaine County is on the county’s page.
Blaine 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 Chinook.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: chinookmontana.com ↗
- 2Montana HouseState representatives
- 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.
Reach Chinook’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Chinook’s government
How much does Chinook spend per resident?
About $1,350 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,350 was more than 96% of 51 Montana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Chinook?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,337 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.09% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see chinookmontana.com.
Who runs Chinook’s government?
See chinookmontana.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Chinook yet.
How did Chinook vote in 2024?
Montana counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Chinook alone. Blaine County, where 100% of Chinook lies, voted Trump 50.5%, Harris 44.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Chinook?
26 full-time and 9 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $118,303 (about $1.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Chinook in the state legislature?
State Senate District 14 (Russel Tempel) and State House District 28 (Eric Albus). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Chinook’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 →