Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0Miles City spent more per resident in 2022 than 95% of similar cities
Miles City’s city government spent $11.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,363 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($1.8 million) and the airport ($1.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Miles City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,275 per resident in 2022: more than 95% of them
Miles City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,275 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–$998. Miles City spent more than 95% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.5 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 of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Miles City itself left out).
About $1,363 per resident a year, or $3.73 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: fire, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 10% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Miles City 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: $1,275 · 2023: $1,363.
full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), up from 83 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 $2,341 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.17% 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 Miles City’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 Miles City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Miles City →
Who’s in charge in Miles City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Miles City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on milescitychamber.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 95 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
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 2023 finance file (8,397).
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.
Miles City Elementary School District
Miles City’s elementary school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,091 per pupil, $6,866 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.
Custer County High School District · $12,589 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Miles City’s votes are counted by county
Montana reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Miles City alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Custer County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican72.6%4,208 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat23.9%1,385 votesOthers: 3.5% (204 votes).
Most votes in Custer County: Donald J Trump
Montana: Trump 58.4%, Harris 38.5%
100% of Miles City lies in Custer County. Every 2024 race in Custer County is on the county’s page.
Custer 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 Miles City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: milescitychamber.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 Miles City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Miles City’s government
How much does Miles City spend per resident?
About $1,363 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,275 was more than 95% of 60 Montana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Miles City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,341 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.17% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see milescitychamber.com.
Who runs Miles City’s government?
See milescitychamber.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Miles City yet.
How did Miles City vote in 2024?
Montana counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Miles City alone. Custer County, where 100% of Miles City lies, voted Trump 72.6%, Harris 23.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Miles City?
88 full-time and 21 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 0 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $468,600 (about $5.6M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Miles City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 18 (Ken Bogner) and State House District 36 (Greg Kmetz). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Miles City’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 →