Article Table Of Contents
You've seen these lists before: Best places to live in Montana, Most Beautiful Downtowns, etc., etc. But all of them 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 best 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 just want to know which places in Montana ranked the based--you know, based on science.
Before we get to the top 15, here's a look at the 10 Best Small Towns To Live in Montana for 2022.
The 10 Best Small Towns To Live In Montana For 2022
What's the best small town in Montana? King Arthur Park is the best small town in Montana based on the most recent Census data. If you live in one of these small towns like King Arthur Park, 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 2022
/10
Population: 1,933
Median Income: $86,953 (5th Best)
Median Home Value: $255,000 (17th Best)
More on King Arthur Park: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 4,256
Median Income: $85,080 (6th Best)
Median Home Value: $269,800 (16th Best)
More on Helena Valley Northwest: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,964
Median Income: $89,205 (4th Best)
Median Home Value: $317,800 (7th Best)
More on Clancy: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,134
Median Income: $49,286 (33rd Best)
Median Home Value: $277,600 (12th Best)
More on Red Lodge: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,821
Median Income: $105,134 (2nd Best)
Median Home Value: $359,300 (6th Best)
More on Montana City: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,519
Median Income: $112,656 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $373,700 (5th Best)
More on Helena Valley Northeast: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 4,859
Median Income: $77,907 (8th Best)
Median Home Value: $417,000 (3rd Best)
More on Four Corners: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,977
Median Income: $67,930 (13th Best)
Median Home Value: $225,000 (19th Best)
More on Three Forks: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,054
Median Income: $80,455 (7th Best)
Median Home Value: $513,100 (1st Best)
More on Big Sky: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 4,064
Median Income: $60,903 (18th Best)
Median Home Value: $270,000 (15th Best)
More on Lolo: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,076
Median Income: $43,750 (44th Best)
Median Home Value: $114,800 (57th Best)
More on Chester: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,950
Median Income: $61,103 (17th Best)
Median Home Value: $270,800 (14th Best)
More on Manhattan: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,332
Median Income: $50,541 (30th Best)
Median Home Value: $151,300 (42nd Best)
More on Glasgow: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,047
Median Income: $42,083 (47th Best)
Median Home Value: $153,900 (38th Best)
More on Scobey: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,527
Median Income: $51,182 (29th Best)
Median Home Value: $145,900 (44th Best)
More on Plentywood: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Montana
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent data from the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 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 a lot - 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 -- King Arthur Park. You can download the data here.
Keep reading to find out more about our top 15 best small towns 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, we 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?
If you're curious, here are the worst small towns in Montana:
- Crow Agency
- South Browning
- Pablo
For more Montana reading, check out: