Photo: USEPA Environmental-Protection-Agency · Public domainLibby spent more per resident in 2022 than 68% of similar cities
Libby’s city government spent $2.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $755 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Libby is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$992 per resident in 2022: more than 68% of them
Libby’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. Libby spent more than 68% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($621,000), 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; Libby itself left out).
About $755 per resident a year, or $2.07 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 17% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Libby 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: $967 · 2024: $755. Per resident it went from $992 to $755 (down 24%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 2,845 to 3,097.
full-time in March 2025, down from 35 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 $1,427 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.55% 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 Libby’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 Libby’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Libby →
Who’s in charge in Libby
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Libby’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on libbymontana.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 141 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 (3,097).
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.
Libby K-12 Schools
Libby’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,082 per pupil, $6,995 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.
Libby’s votes are counted by county
Montana reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Libby alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lincoln County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican75.6%8,909 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat22.2%2,615 votesOthers: 2.2% (265 votes).
Most votes in Lincoln County: Donald J Trump
Montana: Trump 58.4%, Harris 38.5%
100% of Libby lies in Lincoln County. Every 2024 race in Lincoln County is on the county’s page.
Lincoln 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 Libby.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: libbymontana.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 Libby’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Libby’s government
How much does Libby spend per resident?
About $755 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 Libby?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,427 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.55% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see libbymontana.com.
Who runs Libby’s government?
See libbymontana.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Libby yet.
How did Libby vote in 2024?
Montana counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Libby alone. Lincoln County, where 100% of Libby lies, voted Trump 75.6%, Harris 22.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Libby?
22 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $106,929 (about $1.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Libby in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Mike Cuffe) and State House District 2 (Tom Millett). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Libby’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 →