The 10 Safest Cities In Montana For 2026

Colstrip is no stranger to the Homesnacks spotlight; we've already named it the second best and fourth most affordable place to live in Montana for 2019. Being #1 in safety is just one more reason Colstrip is a superstar city.

Colstrip averaged just one property crime per month and one violent crime every three months, so your chances of getting into trouble with criminals is basically nil. In fact, the 1 in 1,022 chance residents face of being the victim of a property crime is nearly five times lower than the national average. Colstrip also has a ton of great parks, making it a great city for families.

Red Lodge ranks as the second safest place to live in Montana for 2026.

Crime can be an issue for places that are tucked away but not for Red Lodge. This mountain town seems to strictly attract the best types of people, which probably explains why it only had 5 violent crimes reported in 2024.

The citizens and visitors of Red Lodge obviously have a deep respect for the boundaries of others, their property included. After a day of cross-country skiing along the Silver Run National Recreation Trail, you can hit the hay here with confidence. Since only 1 burglaries were reported in 2024, it is safe to assume you will wake up to find everything right where you left it.

Stevensville is a community with a rich history dating back to Montana's beginnings. And while it may not have been one of the safest areas to reside in back then, it certainly is today.

The town of 2,278 only had 1 violent crimes and 17 property crimes reported in 2024. What is even better is that car theft was not a major contributor to those numbers. That data is good news all around but especially so if you were planning on driving over to the Stevensville Historical Museum to learn more about the community's story throughout time. Nothing cancels plans faster than a missing ride.

Hardin ranks as the fourth safest city in Montana with just 7 violent crimes. The city also reports a mere 24 property crimes.

Established in 1911 and acting as the county seat of Big Horn County, Hardin achieved local significance because of agricultural landmarks such as Thomas D. Campbell's wheat farming and economic diversification seen with the establishment of the Holly Sugar Company. This blend of history and economic stability, alongside a steady population of 3,677, plays a crucial role in Hardin's consistent crime management, keeping it among the top safe havens in Montana.

The city of Libby is located in the middle of the Kootenai Valley, along a river, in the heart of the Kootenai National Forest so you'd better believe you'll have an endless supply of photo-ops when you move here.

Apparently, the natural beauty does a lot to lower residents' violent impulses, because Libby is the least violent city per capita in Montana. To give you an idea, Libby had more seasons than violent crimes in the last year of available data. Now if Libby can just bring its property crime rate down a bit, the city could easily feature higher on this list next year.

As long as you don't break a wrist skiing or snowboarding The Big Mountain, you're going to be pretty safe in Whitefish. The town had the third safest rate of violent crime in the state, with about three times less violence than the national average. Whitefish's property crime ranking was also in the top ten statewide.

There is a catch to living in a super-safe mountain resort town in one of the nation's most spectacular national parks. It's the second most expensive place in Montana. But we think living in Whitefish is worth every penny.

Dillon is the eighth safest place to live in Montana, but it does have a sort of spooky aspect to it. Why?

Well, Bannack State Park is a historical ghost down, with over 60 original structures built as early as the 1860's during the gold rush. Luckily, any ghostly gold-diggers that might be hanging around evidently found enough nuggets that they don't need to steal these days; Dillon had the second safest rate of property crime in Montana.

Manhattan, situated in Gallatin County, Montana, with a modest population of 2,115, is distinguished for its exceptional safety record. The town had 0 murders and only 4 violent crime incidents, leading it to be the seventh safest lowest for violent crime. Property crime is relatively infrequent, positioning Manhattan as the 12th safest community regarding property incidents, having reported only 17 occurrences.

Manhattan renamed itself to honor its thriving barley industry. Despite its limited size of less than 2 square miles, Manhattan upholds a tight-knit community and a very low crime per capita rate of 992/100k people.

Located in the southeastern part of the state in Custer County, Miles City is the tenth safest city in Montana. Miles City residents had about a 1 in 325 chance of being the victim of a violent crime, which is about half as much as the national average. The property crime rate in Miles City is also the eighth safest in Montana. Miles City is home to Pirogue Island State Park, an island on the Yellowstone River that'll make fishers and bird-watchers alike happy for hours.