Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0Montpelier spent more per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities
Montpelier’s city government spent $20.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,564 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Montpelier is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,303 per resident in 2022: more than 100% of them
Montpelier’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,303 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 17 Vermont cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,051, and the middle half spent $444–$1,440. Montpelier spent more than 100% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.1 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 →
Vermont cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Montpelier itself left out).
About $2,564 per resident a year, or $7.02 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 19%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 22% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Montpelier 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: $2,303 · 2024: $2,564. Per resident it went from $2,303 to $2,564 (up 11%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 7,328 to 8,023.
full-time in March 2025, up from 106 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 $6,936 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.85% of the home’s value, vs 1.59% across Vermont.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Montpelier’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 Montpelier’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Montpelier →
Who’s in charge in Montpelier
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Montpelier’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on montpelier-vt.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 70 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 (8,023).
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.
Montpelier Roxbury Unified Union School District
Montpelier’s K–12 school district, shared with Roxbury. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $26,847 per pupil, $14,960 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.
Vermont districts overall: 5% local, 89% state, 6% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Montpelier voted in 2024
Official results for Montpelier’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat86.0%4,359 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican9.7%491 votesOthers: 4.3% (218 votes).
Most votes in Montpelier: Kamala D Harris
Washington County: Harris 69.3%, Trump 26.4% · Vermont: Harris 63.8%, Trump 32.3%
of Montpelier’s 6,337 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Vermont: 71%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Montpelier: Bernie Sanders
Washington County: Sanders 68.8%, Malloy 27.0% · Vermont: Sanders 63.2%, Malloy 32.1%
Most votes in Montpelier: Phil Scott
Washington County: Scott 71.4%, Charlestin 24.1% · Vermont: Scott 73.4%, Charlestin 21.8%
Most votes in the district: Becca Balint
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Montpelier, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montpelier | 86.0% | 9.7% | 4.3% | 5,068 |
| Washington County | 69.3% | 26.4% | 4.3% | 35,369 |
| Vermont | 63.8% | 32.3% | 3.9% | 369,422 |
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 Montpelier.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: montpelier-vt.org ↗
- 2Vermont HouseState representatives
- 3Vermont SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Vermont
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Montpelier compares with the towns next door
Montpelier spent $2,303 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Middlesex | $454 | $6,483 |
| East Montpelier | $565 | $5,868 |
| Berlin | $920 | $4,418 |
| Montpelier | $2,303 | $6,936 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Montpelier’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Montpelier’s government
How much does Montpelier spend per resident?
About $2,564 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 $2,303 was more than 100% of 17 Vermont cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Montpelier?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $6,936 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.85% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.59% across Vermont. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see montpelier-vt.org.
Who runs Montpelier’s government?
See montpelier-vt.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Montpelier yet.
How did Montpelier vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 86.0%, Donald J Trump 9.7% (5,068 votes, official results). Washington County: Harris 69.3%, Trump 26.4%. Vermont: Harris 63.8%, Trump 32.3%.
How many people work for Montpelier?
115 full-time and 23 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $902,969 (about $10.8M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Montpelier in the state legislature?
State Senate District Washington (Andrew Perchlik, Ann Cummings and Anne Watson) and State House District Washington-4 (Conor Casey and Kate McCann). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Montpelier’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 →