Photo: Montanabw · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Great Falls run?
Great Falls’ city government spent $51.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $848 per resident. Water and other utilities ($8.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Great Falls is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $848 per resident a year, or $2.32 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 24%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$985 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Great Falls’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($985 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. Great Falls spent more than 63% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($8.3 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; Great Falls itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 11% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Great Falls 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: $985 · 2023: $826 · 2024: $848.
full-time in March 2025, up from 461 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 $2,370 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.92% 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 Great Falls’ 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 Great Falls’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Great Falls →
Who’s in charge in Great Falls
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Great Falls’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on greatfallsmt.net ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 126 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 (60,382).
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.
Great Falls Elementary School District
Great Falls’ elementary school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,441 per pupil, $6,880 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.
Great Falls High School District · $11,284 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Great Falls’ votes are counted by county
Montana reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Great Falls alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cascade County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.7%22,341 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat37.3%13,971 votesOthers: 3.0% (1,140 votes).
Most votes in Cascade County: Donald J Trump
Montana: Trump 58.4%, Harris 38.5%
100% of Great Falls lies in Cascade County. Every 2024 race in Cascade County is on the county’s page.
Cascade 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
Great Falls sends 8 representatives to the Montana House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: greatfallsmt.net ↗
- 2Montana HouseGreat Falls is split between 8 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 Great Falls compares with the towns next door
Great Falls spent $985 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Great Falls | $985 | $2,370 |
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 Great Falls’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Great Falls’ government
How much does Great Falls spend per resident?
About $848 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 $985 was more than 63% of 65 Montana cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Great Falls?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,370 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.92% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see greatfallsmt.net.
Who runs Great Falls’ government?
See greatfallsmt.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Great Falls yet.
How did Great Falls vote in 2024?
Montana counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Great Falls alone. Cascade County, where 100% of Great Falls lies, voted Trump 59.7%, Harris 37.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Great Falls?
479 full-time and 35 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.1M (about $37.5M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Great Falls in the state legislature?
Great Falls is split among 8 State House districts and 4 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 Great Falls’ 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 →