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 counties 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 using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.
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.
Gallatin County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Montana. And you should avoid Glacier County if you can — at least according to the data.
$93,528 median income · 2.3% unemployment
$76,250 median income · 0.0% unemployment
$78,237 median income · 3.2% unemployment
$95,490 median income · 4.2% unemployment
$84,732 median income · 3.1% unemployment
$77,000 median income · 1.8% unemployment
$69,375 median income · 2.1% unemployment
$75,250 median income · 3.1% unemployment
$75,598 median income · 3.7% unemployment
$80,261 median income · 4.5% unemployment
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Montana’s statewide median.
Montana statewide median: $72,509
Montana statewide median: $466,917
Montana statewide median: 3.6%
On the map
Where Montana’s best counties are
Saturday Night Science
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 made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent 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, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Treasure State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best counties to live in Montana.
Read on to see why Gallatin County is the best county, while Glacier County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Montana.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Montana
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gallatin County | 124,074 | $93,528 | $697,179 |
| 2 | Fallon County | 2,760 | $76,250 | $192,157 |
| 3 | Lewis and Clark County | 73,464 | $78,237 | $462,125 |
| 4 | Jefferson County | 12,774 | $95,490 | $529,867 |
| 5 | Stillwater County | 9,182 | $84,732 | $485,137 |
| 6 | Sweet Grass County | 3,720 | $77,000 | $486,041 |
| 7 | McCone County | 1,670 | $69,375 | $254,778 |
| 8 | Madison County | 9,223 | $75,250 | $748,296 |
| 9 | Missoula County | 120,672 | $75,598 | $570,556 |
| 10 | Carbon County | 11,116 | $80,261 | $508,256 |
| 11 | Richland County | 11,235 | $73,084 | $274,829 |
| 12 | Meagher County | 2,007 | $71,932 | $312,169 |
| 13 | Petroleum County | 447 | $60,208 | $211,297 |
| 14 | Park County | 17,710 | $70,047 | $601,228 |
| 15 | Flathead County | 110,695 | $73,925 | $639,812 |
| 16 | Yellowstone County | 168,957 | $76,570 | $393,359 |
| 16 | Treasure County | 732 | $67,917 | $246,157 |
| 18 | Powell County | 7,053 | $66,923 | $318,530 |
| 19 | Garfield County | 1,094 | $69,583 | $337,113 |
| 20 | Teton County | 6,353 | $70,430 | $349,224 |
| 21 | Beaverhead County | 9,713 | $61,268 | $399,744 |
| 22 | Valley County | 7,519 | $71,695 | $182,545 |
| 23 | Ravalli County | 46,727 | $71,283 | $596,540 |
| 24 | Dawson County | 8,827 | $71,334 | $192,885 |
| 25 | Powder River County | 1,815 | $67,045 | $299,261 |
| 26 | Wibaux County | 1,193 | $67,462 | $239,789 |
| 27 | Custer County | 11,961 | $70,605 | $246,185 |
| 28 | Cascade County | 84,606 | $67,690 | $337,138 |
| 29 | Judith Basin County | 2,071 | $59,000 | $304,861 |
| 30 | Daniels County | 1,494 | $55,625 | $168,085 |
| 30 | Chouteau County | 5,906 | $58,218 | $314,698 |
| 32 | Broadwater County | 7,668 | $70,374 | $524,251 |
| 33 | Phillips County | 4,221 | $53,417 | $223,069 |
| 34 | Granite County | 3,462 | $59,265 | $442,322 |
| 35 | Prairie County | 1,250 | $51,250 | $139,580 |
| 36 | Sheridan County | 3,669 | $70,147 | $176,230 |
| 37 | Mineral County | 4,959 | $63,450 | $382,886 |
| 38 | Silver Bow County | 35,785 | $61,754 | $280,525 |
| 39 | Liberty County | 1,952 | $57,857 | $223,792 |
| 40 | Fergus County | 11,687 | $63,706 | $314,071 |
| 41 | Deer Lodge County | 9,597 | $57,527 | $286,576 |
| 42 | Carter County | 1,308 | $54,167 | $187,364 |
| 43 | Lake County | 32,561 | $63,360 | $585,034 |
| 44 | Sanders County | 13,285 | $57,476 | $447,471 |
| 45 | Golden Valley County | 899 | $58,333 | $248,587 |
| 46 | Wheatland County | 2,056 | $49,489 | $176,919 |
| 47 | Lincoln County | 21,175 | $47,143 | $426,012 |
| 48 | Toole County | 5,061 | $57,731 | $181,922 |
| 49 | Musselshell County | 5,152 | $58,920 | $241,728 |
| 50 | Pondera County | 6,035 | $52,338 | $260,328 |
| 51 | Hill County | 16,155 | $52,798 | $231,658 |
| 52 | Blaine County | 6,949 | $64,813 | $214,055 |
| 53 | Big Horn County | 12,891 | $58,750 | $217,738 |
| 54 | Rosebud County | 8,165 | $49,914 | $224,632 |
| 55 | Roosevelt County | 10,526 | $57,063 | $143,771 |
| 56 | Glacier County | 13,637 | $46,875 | $178,024 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + FBI crime data via Saturday Night Science. All 56 Montana counties.
Summary
Summary: The Best Counties In Montana To Call Home For 2026
Living in Montana can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
The best counties in Montana are Gallatin County, Fallon County, Lewis and Clark County, Jefferson County, Stillwater County, Sweet Grass County, McCone County, Madison County, Missoula County, and Carbon County.
But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome. Not sold on Montana? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Counties In Montana FAQs
What is the best county to live in Montana?
Gallatin County is the best county to live in Montana for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Fallon County and Lewis and Clark County are next.
What are the best counties in Montana?
The best counties to live in Montana are Gallatin County, Fallon County, Lewis and Clark County, Jefferson County, Stillwater County, Sweet Grass County, McCone County, Madison County, Missoula County, and Carbon County. We ranked all 56 Montana counties.
How do you rank the best counties?
Counties are scored on crime, home values, income, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey and FBI data. The county with the best average across all seven, Gallatin County, wins.
How expensive is it to live in Gallatin County?
The median household income in Gallatin County is $93,528 and the median home costs $697,179. Statewide, the typical Montana home runs $466,917.
Which county in Montana should you think twice about?
Glacier County lands at the bottom of the quality-of-life ranking for Montana. People make good lives there anyway; the numbers just say it is the toughest of the 56 counties.
