Photo: Itsa Ortiz · CC BY 2.0Hamilton spent more per resident in 2022 than 68% of similar cities
Hamilton’s city government spent $6.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,265 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Hamilton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$992 per resident in 2022: more than 68% of them
Hamilton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($992 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 60 Montana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $842, and the middle half spent $504–$1,018. Hamilton spent more than 68% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($833,000), 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Hamilton itself left out).
About $1,265 per resident a year, or $3.47 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 30% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Hamilton 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: $992 · 2023: $1,101 · 2024: $1,265.
full-time in March 2025, down from 43 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 $2,304 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.74% 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 Hamilton’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.
Tax bills are one input to Hamilton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Hamilton →
Who’s in charge in Hamilton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Hamilton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofhamilton.net ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 129 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 (5,165).
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.
Hamilton K-12 Schools
Hamilton’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,698 per pupil, $6,643 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Hamilton’s votes are counted by county
Montana reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Hamilton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Ravalli County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican68.9%20,617 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat28.4%8,485 votesOthers: 2.7% (802 votes).
Most votes in Ravalli County: Donald J Trump
Montana: Trump 58.4%, Harris 38.5%
100% of Hamilton lies in Ravalli County. Every 2024 race in Ravalli County is on the county’s page.
Ravalli 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 Hamilton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofhamilton.net ↗
- 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 Hamilton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Hamilton’s government
How much does Hamilton spend per resident?
About $1,265 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 $992 was more than 68% of 60 Montana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Hamilton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,304 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.74% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofhamilton.net.
Who runs Hamilton’s government?
See cityofhamilton.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Hamilton yet.
How did Hamilton vote in 2024?
Montana counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Hamilton alone. Ravalli County, where 100% of Hamilton lies, voted Trump 68.9%, Harris 28.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Hamilton?
40 full-time and 27 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $273,490 (about $3.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Hamilton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 43 (Jason Ellsworth) and State House District 86 (Dave Bedey). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Hamilton’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 →