Bozeman, Whitefish, Belgrade: These cities aren’t just some of the best places to live in Montana. They are also home to some of the richest people in the Treasure State.
Bozeman in particular houses the richest residents in the state thanks, in part, to a median household income of $74,113 and a ridiculously low poverty rate of 14.722525362758171%.
If you’re thinking of moving to one of these towns, you’ll probably need to start saving. The richest places in Montana share common characteristics such as having a genius level populous, sky high home prices, and a Pleasantville level of married couples.
How did we come up with these mega wealthy cities? We analyzed Census data from the 2018-2022 American Community Survey for the 25 places in Montana with more than 3,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Richest Places In Montana For 2024
For more on how we calculated the top ten, read on or skip to the end for the full list of the richest cities in Montana.
Rich people not your cup of tea? Feel free to check out some more reading about Montana:
The 10 Richest Cities In Montana For 2024
1. Bozeman
/10
Population: 53,500
Median Income: $74,113
Median Home Values: $712,076
More on Bozeman: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
2. Whitefish
/10
Population: 8,098
Median Income: $69,919
Median Home Values: $817,427
More on Whitefish: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
3. Belgrade
/10
Population: 10,941
Median Income: $82,769
Median Home Values: $540,043
More on Belgrade: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
4. Columbia Falls
/10
Population: 5,435
Median Income: $64,500
Median Home Values: $569,087
More on Columbia Falls: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
5. Billings
/10
Population: 117,093
Median Income: $69,692
Median Home Values: $376,105
More on Billings: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
6. Helena
/10
Population: 32,529
Median Income: $64,798
Median Home Values: $445,702
More on Helena: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
7. Missoula
/10
Population: 74,627
Median Income: $59,783
Median Home Values: $532,392
More on Missoula: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
8. Livingston
/10
Population: 8,489
Median Income: $62,893
Median Home Values: $526,321
More on Livingston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
9. Laurel
/10
Population: 7,181
Median Income: $62,250
Median Home Values: $376,373
More on Laurel: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
10. Kalispell
/10
Population: 25,473
Median Income: $57,123
Median Home Values: $528,069
More on Kalispell: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In Montana For 2024
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the richest places is simply identifying personal incomes. After all, rich people have really high salaries.
However, we don’t believe that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “richest places.” So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2018-2022 American Community Survey and applied Saturday Night Science:
- Median Home Values
- Median Household Income
Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place is. And home values are a measure of wealth. The two combine to define a “Rich City.”
After we collected the data for all 25 places with more than 3,000 people in Montana, we ranked each place from 1 to 25 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the richest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Rich Score,” with the place having the lowest overall Rich Score, Bozeman, crowned the “Richest City In Montana For 2024.”
The data has been updated for 2024. This is our tenth time ranking the wealthiest cities in Montana.
You can skip to the end to see the rankings for all 25 places.
Summary: The Wealthiest Places In Montana For 2024
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the richest places in Montana, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Montana.
The richest cities in Montana are Bozeman, Whitefish, Belgrade, Columbia Falls, Billings, Helena, Missoula, Livingston, Laurel, and Kalispell.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very top of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the poorest cities in Montana, according to data:
Poorest: Cut Bank
2nd Poorest: Lewistown
3rd Poorest: Shelby
For more Montana reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Montana
- Best Places To Live In Montana
- Worst Places To Live In Montana
Detailed List Of The Richest Cities In Montana
| Rank | City | RichScore | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bozeman | 2.0 | $74,113 | $712,076 |
| 2 | Whitefish | 2.0 | $69,919 | $817,427 |
| 3 | Belgrade | 3.0 | $82,769 | $540,043 |
| 4 | Columbia Falls | 5.5 | $64,500 | $569,087 |
| 5 | Billings | 8.0 | $69,692 | $376,105 |
| 6 | Helena | 8.5 | $64,798 | $445,702 |
| 7 | Missoula | 9.0 | $59,783 | $532,392 |
| 8 | Livingston | 9.0 | $62,893 | $526,321 |
| 9 | Laurel | 11.0 | $62,250 | $376,373 |
| 10 | Kalispell | 11.5 | $57,123 | $528,069 |
| 11 | Polson | 12.0 | $48,866 | $544,825 |
| 12 | Glendive | 14.0 | $65,663 | $218,024 |
| 13 | Great Falls | 14.0 | $58,272 | $305,613 |
| 14 | Havre | 14.0 | $63,143 | $253,078 |
| 15 | Miles City | 15.0 | $59,578 | $262,923 |
| 16 | Glasgow | 15.0 | $65,850 | $167,389 |
| 17 | Hamilton | 15.5 | $45,973 | $485,729 |
| 18 | Sidney | 16.0 | $56,696 | $299,126 |
| 19 | Deer Lodge | 17.0 | $52,813 | $265,269 |
| 20 | Hardin | 18.0 | $57,266 | $231,596 |
| 21 | Dillon | 18.0 | $42,037 | $353,022 |
| 22 | Anaconda-Deer Lodge County | 19.5 | $46,436 | $257,384 |
| 23 | Shelby | 21.5 | $51,667 | $169,827 |
| 24 | Lewistown | 22.5 | $40,705 | $251,367 |
| 25 | Cut Bank | 23.5 | $41,759 | $171,155 |
