The 10 Best Small Towns In Montana For 2026


The best small towns in Montana are Wye and Glasgow for 2026 based on Saturday Night Science.

By: Chris Kolmar | About HomeSnacks
Last Updated: April 18, 2026

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 2026

  1. Wye
  2. Glasgow
  3. Helena Valley Northeast
  4. Fort Benton
  5. Big Sky
  6. Manhattan
  7. Clancy
  8. Frenchtown
  9. Dillon
  10. Montana City
  11. Malta
  12. Three Forks
  13. King Arthur Park
  14. Lolo
  15. Malmstrom AFB

Best Small Towns To Live In Montana Map

What’s the best small town in Montana? Wye is the best small town in Montana based on the most recent Census data. If you live in one of these small towns like Wye, 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 2026

1. Wye

Overall SnackAbility

/10

Population: 1,055
Median Income: $109,625 (6th Best)
Median Home Value: $707,084 (9th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.3%

2. Glasgow

Glasgow, MT

Source: Wikipedia User Mcheath | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 3,190
Median Income: $90,310 (12th Best)
Median Home Value: $156,841 (58th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.5%

3. Helena Valley Northeast

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 4,659
Median Income: $140,517 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $716,527 (7th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.3%

4. Fort Benton

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 1,474
Median Income: $67,188 (24th Best)
Median Home Value: $290,072 (39th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%

5. Big Sky

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 2,445
Median Income: $138,805 (2nd Best)
Median Home Value: $1,839,256 (1st Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.4%

6. Manhattan

Manhattan, MT

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

6
/10

Population: 2,288
Median Income: $87,865 (13th Best)
Median Home Value: $659,491 (12th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%

7. Clancy

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,874
Median Income: $125,000 (4th Best)
Median Home Value: $636,845 (15th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.2%

8. Frenchtown

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,927
Median Income: $94,500 (11th Best)
Median Home Value: $651,201 (13th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%

9. Dillon

Dillon, MT

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 4,085
Median Income: $61,134 (33rd Best)
Median Home Value: $391,899 (33rd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.2%

10. Montana City

Source: Public Domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 3,092
Median Income: $129,755 (3rd Best)
Median Home Value: $709,693 (8th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%

11. Malta

Malta, MT

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

5
/10

Population: 2,100
Median Income: $54,483 (48th Best)
Median Home Value: $240,905 (43rd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%

12. Three Forks

Three Forks, MT

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

6
/10

Population: 1,919
Median Income: $79,784 (17th Best)
Median Home Value: $552,347 (17th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%

13. King Arthur Park

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 1,992
Median Income: $109,106 (7th Best)
Median Home Value: $0 (65th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%

14. Lolo

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 4,314
Median Income: $86,065 (14th Best)
Median Home Value: $541,119 (19th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.8%

15. Malmstrom Afb

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 4,302
Median Income: $64,833 (29th Best)
Median Home Value: $0 (65th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.8%

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 2020-2024 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 — Wye.

This is our eleventh 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 Wye, Glasgow, Helena Valley Northeast, Fort Benton, Big Sky, Manhattan, Clancy, Frenchtown, Dillon, and Montana City.

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

  1. Lame Deer
  2. Hays
  3. Fort Belknap Agency

For more Montana reading, check out:

Best Small Towns In Montana

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Value Unemployment Rate
1 Wye, MT 1,055 $109,625 1.3%
2 Glasgow, MT 3,190 $90,310 0.5%
3 Helena Valley Northeast, MT 4,659 $140,517 1.3%
4 Fort Benton, MT 1,474 $67,188 0.0%
5 Big Sky, MT 2,445 $138,805 1.4%
6 Manhattan, MT 2,288 $87,865 0.0%
7 Clancy, MT 1,874 $125,000 3.2%
8 Frenchtown, MT 1,927 $94,500 0.0%
9 Dillon, MT 4,085 $61,134 1.2%
10 Montana City, MT 3,092 $129,755 3.9%
11 Malta, MT 2,100 $54,483 0.0%
12 Three Forks, MT 1,919 $79,784 0.0%
13 King Arthur Park, MT 1,992 $109,106 0.0%
14 Lolo, MT 4,314 $86,065 0.8%
15 Malmstrom Afb, MT 4,302 $64,833 1.8%
16 Clinton, MT 1,040 $103,750 4.1%
17 Pray, MT 1,129 $96,250 0.0%
18 Churchill, MT 1,167 $108,281 1.3%
19 Helena West Side, MT 1,417 $66,921 0.3%
20 Deer Lodge, MT 3,021 $60,302 3.3%
21 Lakeside, MT 2,386 $77,435 2.0%
22 Chinook, MT 1,353 $61,750 6.2%
23 Wheatland, MT 1,661 $123,277 0.0%
24 Thompson Falls, MT 1,500 $46,313 0.0%
25 West Yellowstone, MT 1,474 $58,839 2.3%
26 Red Lodge, MT 2,502 $55,750 2.8%
27 Choteau, MT 1,479 $51,632 0.7%
28 West Glendive, MT 2,121 $54,922 1.0%
29 Somers, MT 1,280 $56,917 4.7%
30 Plentywood, MT 1,654 $68,438 3.3%
31 Boulder, MT 1,284 $72,500 6.9%
32 Colstrip, MT 2,101 $82,500 8.2%
33 Baker, MT 1,489 $84,750 0.0%
34 Columbus, MT 2,003 $65,250 3.1%
35 Bonner-West Riverside, MT 1,563 $62,039 0.0%
36 Stevensville, MT 2,130 $60,096 3.5%
37 East Missoula, MT 2,099 $57,500 8.6%
38 Big Timber, MT 1,611 $66,898 3.7%
39 Glendive, MT 4,810 $72,670 4.3%
40 Seeley Lake, MT 1,496 $49,574 0.0%
41 East Helena, MT 1,702 $60,417 7.9%
42 Cut Bank, MT 3,028 $49,432 3.5%
43 Vaughn, MT 1,002 $56,250 1.2%
44 Harlowton, MT 1,058 $55,600 0.0%
45 Sun Prairie, MT 1,171 $55,688 0.0%
46 Conrad, MT 2,618 $47,857 4.3%
47 Shelby, MT 3,216 $58,413 3.7%
48 Hardin, MT 3,742 $60,423 5.6%
49 Corvallis, MT 1,227 $78,103 4.3%
50 Libby, MT 3,042 $34,143 3.4%
51 Forsyth, MT 1,728 $39,744 4.1%
52 Eureka, MT 1,840 $38,750 4.2%
53 Ronan, MT 2,001 $42,298 4.9%
54 Marion, MT 1,037 $65,250 10.0%
55 Townsend, MT 1,967 $70,752 13.3%
56 Roundup, MT 2,003 $57,847 10.7%
57 Plains, MT 1,195 $25,491 19.2%
58 Whitehall, MT 1,156 $44,844 8.9%
59 Wolf Point, MT 2,602 $52,868 17.4%
60 Rocky Boy West, MT 1,007 $63,125 9.7%
61 Pablo, MT 1,632 $36,400 9.5%
62 North Browning, MT 3,144 $37,155 17.0%
63 Crow Agency, MT 2,192 $52,339 32.4%
64 Fort Belknap Agency, MT 1,227 $46,071 38.8%
65 Hays, MT 1,009 $52,250 21.1%
66 Lame Deer, MT 1,872 $23,700 42.2%
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