Photo: I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license: · CC BY-SA 3.0Poplar spent more per resident in 2022 than 90% of similar cities
Poplar’s city government spent $937,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $1,122 per resident. Water and other utilities ($493,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Poplar is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,122 per resident in 2022: more than 90% of them
Poplar’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,122 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 51 Montana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $804, and the middle half spent $431–$998. Poplar spent more than 90% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($807,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Poplar itself left out).
About $1,122 per resident a year, or $3.07 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 86%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Poplar reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,201 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.26% 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 Poplar’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Poplar’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Poplar →
Who’s in charge in Poplar
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 104 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (835).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Poplar Elementary School District
Poplar’s elementary school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $23,470 per pupil, $15,472 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.
Poplar High School District · $19,537 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Poplar’s votes are counted by county
Montana reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Poplar alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Roosevelt County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican52.5%2,055 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat42.9%1,680 votesOthers: 4.6% (179 votes).
Most votes in Roosevelt County: Donald J Trump
Montana: Trump 58.4%, Harris 38.5%
100% of Poplar lies in Roosevelt County. Every 2024 race in Roosevelt County is on the county’s page.
Roosevelt 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 Poplar.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Poplar’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Poplar’s government
How much does Poplar spend per resident?
About $1,122 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,122 was more than 90% of 51 Montana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Poplar?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,201 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.26% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Poplar’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Poplar yet.
How did Poplar vote in 2024?
Montana counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Poplar alone. Roosevelt County, where 100% of Poplar lies, voted Trump 52.5%, Harris 42.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Poplar?
8 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $43,349 (about $520,188 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Poplar in the state legislature?
State Senate District 16 (Jonathan Windy Boy) and State House District 31 (Frank J. Smith). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Poplar’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 →