Photo: Sam Beebe · CC BY 2.0How is Choteau run?
Choteau’s city government spent $1.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $826 per resident. Water and other utilities ($292,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Choteau is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $826 per resident a year, or $2.26 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Choteau yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Choteau’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2024 only (2022 and 2023 are estimates), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,914 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.93% 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 Choteau’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 Choteau’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Choteau →
Who’s in charge in Choteau
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Choteau’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on choteaumt.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 177 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 (1,769).
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.
Choteau Elementary School District
Choteau’s elementary school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $9,720 per pupil, $5,798 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.
Choteau High School District · $19,300 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Choteau’s votes are counted by county
Montana reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Choteau alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Teton County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican71.0%2,533 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat26.0%927 votesOthers: 3.0% (108 votes).
Most votes in Teton County: Donald J Trump
Montana: Trump 58.4%, Harris 38.5%
100% of Choteau lies in Teton County. Every 2024 race in Teton County is on the county’s page.
Teton 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 Choteau.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: choteaumt.org ↗
- 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 Choteau’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Choteau’s government
How much does Choteau spend per resident?
About $826 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Choteau?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,914 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.93% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see choteaumt.org.
Who runs Choteau’s government?
See choteaumt.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Choteau yet.
How did Choteau vote in 2024?
Montana counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Choteau alone. Teton County, where 100% of Choteau lies, voted Trump 71.0%, Harris 26.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Choteau?
10 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $56,920 (about $683,040 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Choteau in the state legislature?
State Senate District 9 (Butch Gillespie) and State House District 17 (Zack Wirth). The House district also covers 1 neighboring town. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Choteau’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 →