Photo: Tracey Elizabeth · CC BY 2.0How is Helena run?
Helena’s city government spent $45.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,348 per resident. Water and other utilities ($6.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Helena is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,348 per resident a year, or $3.69 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison for Helena yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample). Helena’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars), so it has no like-for-like peer figure. It reported 2024; the next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →Day-to-day spending is down 10% since 2023
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Helena reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2023: $1,529 · 2024: $1,348.
full-time in March 2025, up from 320 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 $3,552 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 Helena’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 Helena’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Helena →
Who’s in charge in Helena
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Helena’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on helenamt.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 98 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 (33,885).
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.
Helena High School District
Helena’s high school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,476 per pupil, $8,993 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.
Helena Elementary School District · $13,260 per pupil
East Helena K-12 · $10,159 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Helena’s votes are counted by county
Montana reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Helena alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lewis and Clark County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican51.1%21,479 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat45.4%19,085 votesOthers: 3.5% (1,459 votes).
Most votes in Lewis and Clark County: Donald J Trump
Montana: Trump 58.4%, Harris 38.5%
100% of Helena lies in Lewis and Clark County. Every 2024 race in Lewis and Clark County is on the county’s page.
Lewis and Clark 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
Helena sends 5 representatives to the Montana House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: helenamt.gov ↗
- 2Montana HouseHelena is split between 5 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 Helena compares with the towns next door
Helena’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. None of its neighbors reported 2022 figures. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| East Helena | estimate | $2,378 |
| Helena | estimate | $3,552 |
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 Helena’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Helena’s government
How much does Helena spend per resident?
About $1,348 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 Helena?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,552 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 helenamt.gov.
Who runs Helena’s government?
See helenamt.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Helena yet.
How did Helena vote in 2024?
Montana counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Helena alone. Lewis and Clark County, where 100% of Helena lies, voted Trump 51.1%, Harris 45.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Helena?
346 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.3M (about $27.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Helena in the state legislature?
Helena is split among 5 State House districts and 3 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 Helena’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 →