Photo: BrianHagan · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Thompson Falls run?
Thompson Falls’ city government spent $1.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $938 per resident. Water and other utilities ($457,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Thompson Falls is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $938 per resident a year, or $2.57 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 34%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Thompson Falls yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Thompson Falls’ 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2024 only (2022 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,658 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.62% 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 Thompson Falls’ 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 Thompson Falls’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Thompson Falls →
Who’s in charge in Thompson Falls
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Thompson Falls’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofthompsonfalls.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 362 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (1,447).
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.
Thompson Falls Elementary School District
Thompson Falls’ elementary school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,784 per pupil, $8,305 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.
Thompson Falls High School District · $16,465 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Thompson Falls’ votes are counted by county
Montana reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Thompson Falls alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Sanders County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican76.2%6,150 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat21.1%1,705 votesOthers: 2.7% (214 votes).
Most votes in Sanders County: Donald J Trump
Montana: Trump 58.4%, Harris 38.5%
100% of Thompson Falls lies in Sanders County. Every 2024 race in Sanders County is on the county’s page.
Sanders 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 Thompson Falls.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofthompsonfalls.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 Thompson Falls’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Thompson Falls’ government
How much does Thompson Falls spend per resident?
About $938 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 Thompson Falls?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,658 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.62% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofthompsonfalls.com.
Who runs Thompson Falls’ government?
See cityofthompsonfalls.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Thompson Falls yet.
How did Thompson Falls vote in 2024?
Montana counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Thompson Falls alone. Sanders County, where 100% of Thompson Falls lies, voted Trump 76.2%, Harris 21.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Thompson Falls?
4 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $23,309 (about $279,708 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Thompson Falls in the state legislature?
State Senate District 7 (Greg Hertz) and State House District 14 (Paul Fielder). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Thompson Falls’ 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 →