How is Colstrip run?
Colstrip’s city government spent $4.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,038 per resident. Water and other utilities ($829,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Colstrip is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $2,038 per resident a year, or $5.58 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 35%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Colstrip yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Colstrip’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 $1,098 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.56% 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 Colstrip’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 Colstrip’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Colstrip →
Who’s in charge in Colstrip
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Colstrip’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofcolstrip.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 136 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 (2,037).
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.
Colstrip Elementary School District
Colstrip’s elementary school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,940 per pupil, $9,293 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.
Colstrip High School District · $25,962 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Colstrip’s votes are counted by county
Montana reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Colstrip alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Rosebud County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.8%2,466 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat29.7%1,095 votesOthers: 3.6% (132 votes).
Most votes in Rosebud County: Donald J Trump
Montana: Trump 58.4%, Harris 38.5%
100% of Colstrip lies in Rosebud County. Every 2024 race in Rosebud County is on the county’s page.
Rosebud 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 Colstrip.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofcolstrip.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 Colstrip’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Colstrip’s government
How much does Colstrip spend per resident?
About $2,038 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 Colstrip?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,098 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.56% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofcolstrip.com.
Who runs Colstrip’s government?
See cityofcolstrip.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Colstrip yet.
How did Colstrip vote in 2024?
Montana counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Colstrip alone. Rosebud County, where 100% of Colstrip lies, voted Trump 66.8%, Harris 29.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Colstrip?
15 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $144,312 (about $1.7M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Colstrip in the state legislature?
State Senate District 18 (Ken Bogner) and State House District 35 (Gary Parry). The House district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Colstrip’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 →