Photo: Finetooth · CC BY-SA 3.0How is West Yellowstone run?
West Yellowstone’s town government spent $5.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $4,747 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: West Yellowstone didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
About $4,747 per resident a year, or $13.01 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
West Yellowstone didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for West Yellowstone yet
Every year of West Yellowstone’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the town reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, the same as 29 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $2,858 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.57% 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 West Yellowstone’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 West Yellowstone’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in West Yellowstone →
Who’s in charge in West Yellowstone
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
West Yellowstone’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on townofwestyellowstone.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 43 residents
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 2024 finance file (1,244).
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.
West Yellowstone K-12
West Yellowstone’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,546 per pupil, $7,183 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.
West Yellowstone’s votes are counted by county
Montana reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for West Yellowstone alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Gallatin County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat50.0%34,938 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican46.8%32,695 votesOthers: 3.2% (2,264 votes).
Most votes in Gallatin County: Kamala D Harris
Montana: Trump 58.4%, Harris 38.5%
100% of West Yellowstone lies in Gallatin County. Every 2024 race in Gallatin County is on the county’s page.
Gallatin 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 West Yellowstone.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: townofwestyellowstone.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 West Yellowstone’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about West Yellowstone’s government
How much does West Yellowstone spend per resident?
About $4,747 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (West Yellowstone didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $8.8 million.
What is the property tax rate in West Yellowstone?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,858 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.57% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see townofwestyellowstone.com.
Who runs West Yellowstone’s government?
See townofwestyellowstone.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for West Yellowstone yet.
How did West Yellowstone vote in 2024?
Montana counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for West Yellowstone alone. Gallatin County, where 100% of West Yellowstone lies, voted Harris 50.0%, Trump 46.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for West Yellowstone?
29 full-time and 10 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $268,330 (about $3.2M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents West Yellowstone in the state legislature?
State Senate District 30 (Cora Neumann) and State House District 60 (Alanah Griffith). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about West Yellowstone’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 (for West Yellowstone, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →