The 10 Best Counties To Live In Montana For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which counties in Montana have the most for people looking to make the move to Montana.

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Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment: is Montana a good place?

The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best places to live in Montana.

Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Treasure State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been helping people find the best places to live in America for years.

So, the question becomes, if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Montana, where would you go? To answer that we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 56 counties in the state.

After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Treasure State for 2022.

Jefferson County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Montana. And you might want to avoid Big Horn County if you can — at least according to the data.

So if you’re thinking of making the move Montana, we’ve got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.

Or, check out the best places to live in Montana and the cheapest places to live in Montana.

The Best Counties To Live In Montana For 2022

1. Jefferson County

Basin, MT

Biggest Place: Montana City

Population: 12,069
Median Income: $71,779.0 (best)
Median Home Price: $290,700.0 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.4% (28th best)
More on Jefferson County: PhotosData

2. Sweet Grass County

Biggest Place: Big Timber

Population: 3,676
Median Income: $53,790.0 (22nd best)
Median Home Price: $243,300.0 (14th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.2% (7th best)
More on Sweet Grass County: Data

3. Stillwater County

Columbus, MT

Biggest Place: Columbus

Population: 9,562
Median Income: $67,448.0 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $256,600.0 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.3% (37th best)
More on Stillwater County: PhotosData

4. Gallatin County

Belgrade, MT

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Bozeman

Population: 111,401
Median Income: $70,124.0 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $388,000.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.4% (20th best)
More on Gallatin County: PhotosData

5. Carbon County

Red Lodge, MT

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Red Lodge

Population: 10,689
Median Income: $61,209.0 (8th best)
Median Home Price: $271,500.0 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (38th best)
More on Carbon County: PhotosData

6. Daniels County

Scobey, MT

Biggest Place: Scobey

Population: 1,705
Median Income: $56,026.0 (16th best)
Median Home Price: $164,700.0 (27th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.4% (11th best)
More on Daniels County: PhotosData

7. Fallon County

Baker, MT

Biggest Place: Baker

Population: 2,975
Median Income: $69,792.0 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $165,900.0 (26th best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.1% (3rd best)
More on Fallon County: PhotosData

8. Richland County

Sidney, MT

Biggest Place: Sidney

Population: 11,097
Median Income: $64,158.0 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $229,100.0 (17th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.5% (2best)
More on Richland County: PhotosData

9. Madison County

Biggest Place: Big Sky

Population: 8,530
Median Income: $55,892.0 (17th best)
Median Home Price: $316,900.0 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.9% (24th best)
More on Madison County: Data

10. Mccone County

Biggest Place: Circle

Population: 1,826
Median Income: $57,045.0 (13th best)
Median Home Price: $151,300.0 (36th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.7% (13th best)
More on Mccone County: Data

Methodology: How do you determine which Montana county is the best?

To give you the best county in Montana, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we need to make some assumptions about what’s a “best county” and what isn’t. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, don’t take this analysis to court.

With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time period.

We paid particular attention to:

  • Violent Crime Rates
  • Property Crime Rates
  • Median Home Values
  • Median Income
  • Unemployment Rates
  • Adult Education Levels
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Poverty Rates

We then ranked each county in Montana across each of the criteria from one to 56, with one being the best.

Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Montana”.

The result is some of the safest, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Treasure State.

Read on to see why Jefferson County is the best county, while Big Horn County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Montana.

Summary: The Best Counties In Montana To Call Home For 2018

It turns out living in Montana can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?

But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.

Here’s a look at the worst counties in Montana according to the data:

  1. Big Horn County
  2. Glacier County
  3. Roosevelt County

For more Montana reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Montana

County Rank Population Median Income Median Home Price
Jefferson County 1 12,069 $71,779.0 $290,700.0
Sweet Grass County 2 3,676 $53,790.0 $243,300.0
Stillwater County 3 9,562 $67,448.0 $256,600.0
Gallatin County 4 111,401 $70,124.0 $388,000.0
Carbon County 5 10,689 $61,209.0 $271,500.0
Daniels County 6 1,705 $56,026.0 $164,700.0
Fallon County 7 2,975 $69,792.0 $165,900.0
Richland County 8 11,097 $64,158.0 $229,100.0
Madison County 9 8,530 $55,892.0 $316,900.0
Mccone County 10 1,826 $57,045.0 $151,300.0
Lewis And Clark County 11 68,714 $66,062.0 $263,900.0
Yellowstone County 12 160,390 $62,630.0 $238,700.0
Park County 13 16,513 $53,082.0 $287,800.0
Flathead County 14 102,001 $57,763.0 $294,600.0
Missoula County 15 119,062 $56,247.0 $302,200.0
Dawson County 16 8,824 $51,681.0 $152,700.0
Custer County 17 11,563 $54,891.0 $174,500.0
Beaverhead County 18 9,454 $45,819.0 $206,900.0
Broadwater County 19 6,080 $57,723.0 $238,000.0
Powell County 20 6,843 $50,332.0 $147,400.0
Granite County 21 3,325 $50,795.0 $252,600.0
Garfield County 22 1,051 $43,750.0 $155,300.0
Teton County 23 6,127 $56,649.0 $186,300.0
Petroleum County 24 464 $40,000.0 $155,700.0
Ravalli County 25 43,424 $55,090.0 $290,400.0
Cascade County 26 81,576 $52,049.0 $184,400.0
Judith Basin County 27 1,968 $50,329.0 $154,200.0
Chouteau County 28 5,731 $45,707.0 $155,700.0
Treasure County 29 614 $44,671.0 $161,800.0
Sheridan County 30 3,389 $54,135.0 $114,800.0
Meagher County 31 1,795 $46,815.0 $170,700.0
Powder River County 32 1,634 $57,755.0 $135,900.0
Pondera County 33 5,911 $54,235.0 $138,900.0
Silver Bow County 34 34,895 $49,359.0 $155,300.0
Wibaux County 35 1,037 $50,972.0 $107,600.0
Fergus County 36 11,167 $47,618.0 $138,700.0
Valley County 37 7,424 $51,087.0 $150,500.0
Hill County 38 16,422 $50,912.0 $153,800.0
Rosebud County 39 9,065 $57,769.0 $115,300.0
Sanders County 40 11,804 $42,284.0 $251,600.0
Lake County 41 30,383 $52,169.0 $278,400.0
Lincoln County 42 19,845 $39,820.0 $197,300.0
Musselshell County 43 4,682 $46,328.0 $173,000.0
Toole County 44 4,812 $49,725.0 $124,600.0
Golden Valley County 45 814 $49,028.0 $107,600.0
Mineral County 46 4,330 $48,672.0 $194,800.0
Prairie County 47 1,162 $42,350.0 $101,000.0
Liberty County 48 2,455 $46,750.0 $101,600.0
Phillips County 49 4,032 $46,686.0 $141,600.0
Blaine County 50 6,698 $45,361.0 $90,600.0
Carter County 51 1,305 $42,300.0 $109,400.0
Deer Lodge County 52 9,153 $42,129.0 $129,100.0
Wheatland County 53 2,138 $35,265.0 $117,300.0
Roosevelt County 54 11,091 $45,458.0 $103,800.0
Glacier County 55 13,706 $37,645.0 $106,400.0
Big Horn County 56 13,302 $48,273.0 $150,300.0
Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best counties to live in Montana.

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.