2026 ranking

Best small towns to live in Montana

The 25 Montana small towns with the best mix of affordability, safety, schools and jobs, picked from 58 real small towns of 1,000 to 15,000 people — not suburbs.

1
Baker, MT Score 77/100
1,489 people · typical home $211k · household income $85k · 92 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 47% of MT · 0.0% unemployment · 8 mi to a hospital
2
Fort Benton, MT Score 77/100
1,474 people · typical home $248k · household income $67k · 68 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 32% of MT · 1.0% unemployment · 7 mi to a hospital
3
Harlowton, MT Score 76/100
1,058 people · typical home $181k · household income $56k · 146 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 42% of MT · 0.0% unemployment · 3 mi to a hospital
4
Choteau, MT Score 75/100
1,479 people · typical home $206k · household income $52k · 63 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 41% of MT · 1.0% unemployment · 14 mi to a hospital
5
Glasgow, MT Score 74/100
3,190 people · typical home $196k · household income $90k · 66 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 64% of MT · 1.0% unemployment · 9 mi to a hospital
6
Malta, MT Score 73/100
2,100 people · typical home $161k · household income $54k · 308 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 22% of MT · 0.0% unemployment · 23 mi to a hospital
7
Big Timber, MT Score 72/100
1,611 people · typical home $278k · household income $67k · 27 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 40% of MT · 3.0% unemployment · 6 mi to a hospital
8
Plentywood, MT Score 70/100
1,654 people · typical home $161k · household income $68k · 382 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 25% of MT · 3.0% unemployment · 4 mi to a hospital
9
Dillon, MT Score 67/100
4,085 people · typical home $257k · household income $61k · 204 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 33% of MT · 1.0% unemployment · 14 mi to a hospital
10
Forsyth, MT Score 63/100
1,728 people · typical home $208k · household income $40k · 86 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 40% of MT · 6.0% unemployment · 2 mi to a hospital
11
Conrad, MT Score 62/100
2,618 people · typical home $189k · household income $48k · 279 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 37% of MT · 5.0% unemployment · 2 mi to a hospital
12
Pray, MT Score 60/100
1,129 people · typical home $630k · household income $96k · 232 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 5% of MT · 1.0% unemployment · 12 mi to a hospital
13
Boulder, MT Score 59/100
1,284 people · typical home $212k · household income $73k · 454 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 29% of MT · 6.0% unemployment · 21 mi to a hospital
14
Wolf Point, MT Score 57/100
2,602 people · typical home $119k · household income $53k · 247 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 71% of MT · 16.0% unemployment · 3 mi to a hospital
15
Whitefish, MT Score 57/100
8,749 people · typical home $684k · household income $74k · 201 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 9% of MT · 2.0% unemployment · 7 mi to a hospital
16
Evergreen, MT Score 57/100
9,611 people · typical home $341k · household income $76k · 320 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 34% of MT · 3.0% unemployment · 6 mi to a hospital
17
Red Lodge, MT Score 57/100
2,502 people · typical home $381k · household income $68k · 274 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 12% of MT · 3.0% unemployment · 28 mi to a hospital
18
Eureka, MT Score 56/100
1,840 people · typical home $172k · household income $43k · 120 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 47% of MT · 4.0% unemployment · 40 mi to a hospital
19
Deer Lodge, MT Score 56/100
3,021 people · typical home $248k · household income $60k · 285 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 47% of MT · 3.0% unemployment · 3 mi to a hospital
20
Corvallis, MT Score 55/100
1,227 people · typical home $363k · household income $78k · 218 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 46% of MT · 4.0% unemployment · 10 mi to a hospital
21
Townsend, MT Score 54/100
1,967 people · typical home $228k · household income $71k · 261 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 56% of MT · 11.0% unemployment · 8 mi to a hospital
22
Columbus, MT Score 54/100
2,003 people · typical home $283k · household income $65k · 388 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 41% of MT · 3.0% unemployment · 1 mi to a hospital
23
Roundup, MT Score 54/100
2,003 people · typical home $166k · household income $58k · 272 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 70% of MT · 10.0% unemployment · 5 mi to a hospital
24
Hays, MT Score 53/100
1,009 people · typical home $59k · household income $52k · 14 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 93% of MT · 19.0% unemployment · 31 mi to a hospital
25
Colstrip, MT Score 53/100
2,101 people · typical home $195k · household income $66k · 42 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 85% of MT · 9.0% unemployment · 24 mi to a hospital

How we ranked them

Every small town in Montana with 1,000–15,000 people that stands on its own (not part of a big metro core, by USDA rural-urban codes) and has solid Census data. Each town is scored against the others in Montana on: affordability (household income vs. home prices), safety (violent crime, FBI), schools (reading proficiency vs. other Montana districts), jobs (unemployment, half weight) and everyday access (distance to a hospital and a grocery store, quarter weight each). Missing numbers count as average.

The "best" town is different for everyone — weather, size, politics, things to do and more all matter too.

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