The 10 Best Small Towns In Montana For 2025


The best small towns in Montana are Montana City and King Arthur Park for 2025 based on Saturday Night Science.

By: Chris Kolmar | About HomeSnacks
Last Updated: October 1, 2025

You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in Montana. Best sururbs in Montana. Best counties in Montana.

Etc., etc., etc.

But they all focus on major cities and towns in the Treasure State, and no one pays attention to the little guy.

Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the superb small towns in Montana based on numbers–not opinions or hearsay.

We’ll dive right into our methodology in the next section, but first, we thought you might want to know which places in Montana ranked the best based on Saturday Night Science.

Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

The 15 Best Small Towns To Live In Montana For 2025

  1. Montana City
  2. King Arthur Park
  3. Clancy
  4. Wye
  5. Helena Valley Northeast
  6. Chinook
  7. Big Sky
  8. Wheatland
  9. Glasgow
  10. Fort Benton
  11. Manhattan
  12. Helena Flats
  13. Churchill
  14. Malta
  15. Three Forks

Best Small Towns To Live In Montana Map

What’s the best small town in Montana? Montana City is the best small town in Montana based on the most recent Census data. If you live in one of these small towns like Montana City, chances are, you’re not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.

But for the rest of you–keep reading, and we’ll get to just why these small towns made our list.

For more reading on the Treasure State check out:

The 15 Best Small Towns In Montana For 2025

1. Montana City

Source: Public Domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 2,899
Median Income: $125,223 (2nd Best)
Median Home Value: $519,100 (9th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.1%

2. King Arthur Park

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 2,343
Median Income: $107,341 (5th Best)
Median Home Value: $333,500 (22nd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%

3. Clancy

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,729
Median Income: $116,800 (3rd Best)
Median Home Value: $443,500 (13th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.0%

4. Wye

Overall SnackAbility

/10

Population: 1,222
Median Income: $106,667 (6th Best)
Median Home Value: $520,700 (8th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.4%

5. Helena Valley Northeast

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 4,398
Median Income: $137,724 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $462,400 (11th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.7%

6. Chinook

Chinook, MT

Source: Wikipedia User Publichall | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 1,460
Median Income: $71,500 (20th Best)
Median Home Value: $205,900 (39th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%

7. Big Sky

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 2,388
Median Income: $103,625 (7th Best)
Median Home Value: $884,700 (1st Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.1%

8. Wheatland

Overall SnackAbility

/10

Population: 1,185
Median Income: $108,580 (4th Best)
Median Home Value: $581,100 (6th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%

9. Glasgow

Glasgow, MT

Source: Wikipedia User Mcheath | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 3,194
Median Income: $76,985 (18th Best)
Median Home Value: $206,000 (37th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.5%

10. Fort Benton

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 1,470
Median Income: $67,171 (25th Best)
Median Home Value: $201,900 (40th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%

11. Manhattan

Manhattan, MT

Source: Flickr User Tim Evanson | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 2,149
Median Income: $69,671 (23rd Best)
Median Home Value: $460,400 (12th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%

12. Helena Flats

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 1,014
Median Income: $88,125 (11th Best)
Median Home Value: $544,900 (7th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.1%

13. Churchill

Overall SnackAbility

/10

Population: 1,120
Median Income: $95,550 (9th Best)
Median Home Value: $588,800 (5th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.7%

14. Malta

Malta, MT

Source: Wikipedia User Royalbroil | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,902
Median Income: $59,449 (34th Best)
Median Home Value: $139,000 (61st Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%

15. Three Forks

Three Forks, MT

Source: Wikipedia User Arbitrarily0 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 2,034
Median Income: $80,394 (16th Best)
Median Home Value: $382,400 (17th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.1%

Best States In America

Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Montana

We threw a lot of criteria at this report to get the best, most complete results of the best small towns in Montana possible.

Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2019-2023 American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Saturday Night Science, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (Higher is better)
  • Lowest Unemployment Rates
  • Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
  • Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
  • Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
  • Commute Times (Lower is better)

We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which there were many – 66 to be exact.

We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 66, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Montana. Top of that list — Montana City.

This is our tenth time ranking the best small places to live in Montana.

Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones

We said it once, and we’ll say it again — this list: it’s just science. We did the research, crunched the numbers, and it turns out these 15 small towns in Montana are the best in which to live.

And who can argue with that?

The best small towns in Montana are Montana City, King Arthur Park, Clancy, Wye, Helena Valley Northeast, Chinook, Big Sky, Wheatland, Glasgow, and Fort Benton.

If you’re curious, here are the worst small towns in Montana:

  1. Lame Deer
  2. Crow Agency
  3. North Browning

For more Montana reading, check out:

Best Small Towns In Montana

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Value Unemployment Rate
1 Montana City, MT 2,899 $125,223 1.1%
2 King Arthur Park, MT 2,343 $107,341 0.0%
3 Clancy, MT 1,729 $116,800 1.0%
4 Wye, MT 1,222 $106,667 4.4%
5 Helena Valley Northeast, MT 4,398 $137,724 1.7%
6 Chinook, MT 1,460 $71,500 2.7%
7 Big Sky, MT 2,388 $103,625 2.1%
8 Wheatland, MT 1,185 $108,580 0.0%
9 Glasgow, MT 3,194 $76,985 0.5%
10 Fort Benton, MT 1,470 $67,171 0.0%
11 Manhattan, MT 2,149 $69,671 0.0%
12 Helena Flats, MT 1,014 $88,125 5.1%
13 Churchill, MT 1,120 $95,550 0.7%
14 Malta, MT 1,902 $59,449 0.0%
15 Three Forks, MT 2,034 $80,394 1.1%
16 Lakeside, MT 2,730 $83,958 0.0%
17 Helena West Side, MT 1,584 $67,692 0.0%
18 Hamilton, MT 4,949 $52,917 1.9%
19 Frenchtown, MT 1,629 $90,767 0.0%
20 Somers, MT 1,181 $56,501 3.4%
21 West Yellowstone, MT 1,457 $57,167 0.9%
22 Dillon, MT 4,020 $51,458 4.2%
23 Lolo, MT 4,378 $73,700 1.9%
24 Red Lodge, MT 2,399 $43,857 4.1%
25 Deer Lodge, MT 3,035 $53,676 2.3%
26 Thompson Falls, MT 1,568 $53,203 0.0%
27 White Sulphur Springs, MT 1,097 $56,424 0.0%
28 Gallatin Gateway, MT 1,092 $81,429 3.9%
29 Pray, MT 1,018 $102,143 4.8%
30 West Glendive, MT 1,968 $57,743 1.9%
31 Colstrip, MT 2,156 $86,000 6.5%
32 Glendive, MT 4,831 $71,063 5.2%
33 East Missoula, MT 2,072 $65,541 8.9%
34 Choteau, MT 1,719 $53,929 1.0%
35 Plentywood, MT 1,677 $62,163 4.4%
36 Baker, MT 1,535 $78,971 0.0%
37 Shelby, MT 3,129 $53,357 2.2%
38 Forsyth, MT 1,682 $58,375 2.4%
39 Columbus, MT 1,925 $62,500 4.3%
40 Hardin, MT 3,766 $60,463 6.1%
41 Boulder, MT 1,326 $61,250 6.5%
42 Cut Bank, MT 3,040 $55,848 2.2%
43 Big Timber, MT 1,530 $63,514 5.0%
44 Sun Prairie, MT 1,514 $61,004 0.0%
45 Conrad, MT 2,553 $47,348 6.0%
46 Seeley Lake, MT 1,335 $46,031 0.0%
47 Corvallis, MT 1,356 $83,011 4.2%
48 Bonner-West Riverside, MT 1,445 $59,609 2.0%
49 Harlowton, MT 1,054 $53,750 0.0%
50 Stevensville, MT 2,172 $52,745 6.2%
51 East Helena, MT 1,855 $53,611 10.2%
52 Plains, MT 1,077 $24,661 3.6%
53 Libby, MT 2,948 $39,261 1.9%
54 Philipsburg, MT 1,012 $40,096 13.5%
55 Roundup, MT 1,964 $57,632 5.3%
56 Townsend, MT 2,232 $70,774 11.4%
57 St. Ignatius, MT 1,053 $50,781 8.2%
58 Ronan, MT 1,962 $41,429 9.0%
59 Pablo, MT 1,808 $38,430 6.9%
60 Wolf Point, MT 2,604 $48,750 16.1%
61 Whitehall, MT 1,151 $38,750 7.0%
62 Marion, MT 1,149 $52,105 9.1%
63 Eureka, MT 2,009 $43,750 8.1%
64 North Browning, MT 2,894 $40,813 15.1%
65 Crow Agency, MT 2,110 $49,333 38.1%
66 Lame Deer, MT 1,939 $26,364 29.9%
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.

 Best Small Towns, Rankings