Is being in an area of Montana that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?
Depends on who you ask.
Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Billings and Missoula, while others want peace and quiet like in Hamilton and Polson, thank you very much.
But today, we’re going to put opinions aside and look at the cold, hard facts — since 2010, which cities in Montana have grown the fastest.
After getting knee-deep in the Census’s American Community Survey using Saturday Night Science, we emerged with this set of cities in the Treasure State that have people climbing over each other to get in.
63.1% growth since 2010 · 4,591 net new residents
Located in
Gallatin County, Montana
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
54.0% growth since 2010 · 19,674 net new residents
Located in
Gallatin County, Montana
Bozeman is a city in and the seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. Located in southwest Montana, the 2010 census put Bozeman’s population at 37,280 and by 2016 the population rose to 45,250, making it the fourth largest city in Montana. It is the principal city of the Bozeman, MT Micropolitan Statistical Area, consisting of all of Gallatin County with a population of 97,304. It is the largest Micropolitan Statistical Area in Montana and is the third largest of all of Montana-s statistical areas.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
47.7% growth since 2010 · 9,206 net new residents
Located in
Flathead County, Montana
Kalispell is a city in, and the county seat of Flathead County, Montana, United States. The 2015 Census estimates put Kalispell’s population at 22,052. The Kalispell Micropolitan Statistical Area has a population of 93,068 and it is the largest city and commercial center of northwest Montana. The name Kalispell is a Salish word meaning “flat land above the lake”. Kalispell is also the gateway to Glacier National Park.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
37.7% growth since 2010 · 2,397 net new residents
Located in
Flathead County, Montana
Whitefish is a city in Flathead County, Montana, United States. The population was 6,357 at the 2010 census. It is home to a ski resort on Big Mountain called Whitefish Mountain Resort.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
23.8% growth since 2010 · 1,686 net new residents
Located in
Park County, Montana
Livingston is a city and the county seat of Park County, Montana, United States. Livingston is located in southwestern Montana, on the Yellowstone River, north of Yellowstone National Park. The population was 7,044 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
22.1% growth since 2010 · 1,119 net new residents
Located in
Richland County, Montana
Sidney is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Montana, United States, less than 10mi away from the North Dakota border. The population was 5,191 at the 2010 census. The city lies along the Yellowstone River and is in proximity to the badlands of the Dakotas. Sidney is approximately midway between Glendive, Montana and Williston, North Dakota.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
21.6% growth since 2010 · 5,967 net new residents
Located in
Lewis and Clark County, Montana
Helena is the state capital of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
21.5% growth since 2010 · 960 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
21.4% growth since 2010 · 989 net new residents
Columbia Falls is a city in Flathead County, Montana, United States. The population was 4,710 at the 2010 census
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
17.9% growth since 2010 · 775 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Montana’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Montana’s growth is happening
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Treasure State for 2026
To figure out which cities are growing the most, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the growth rates for cities since the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:
- Current Population
- Population in 2010
- Growth rate from 2010 to Current (the latest available data, which came out in Dec 2024)
We ranked all 18 Montana cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.
The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest-growing city in the Treasure State.
And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula: [Current Population – Population 2010] / [Population 2010].
The data has been updated for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the fastest growing cities in Montana.
The full plate
Fastest Growing Places In Montana For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Population 2010 | Growth | Absolute Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belgrade | 11,872 | 7,281 | 63.1% | 4,591 |
| 2 | Bozeman | 56,114 | 36,440 | 54.0% | 19,674 |
| 3 | Kalispell | 28,504 | 19,298 | 47.7% | 9,206 |
| 4 | Whitefish | 8,749 | 6,352 | 37.7% | 2,397 |
| 5 | Livingston | 8,780 | 7,094 | 23.8% | 1,686 |
| 6 | Sidney | 6,171 | 5,052 | 22.1% | 1,119 |
| 7 | Helena | 33,639 | 27,672 | 21.6% | 5,967 |
| 8 | Polson | 5,428 | 4,468 | 21.5% | 960 |
| 9 | Columbia Falls | 5,615 | 4,626 | 21.4% | 989 |
| 10 | Hamilton | 5,101 | 4,326 | 17.9% | 775 |
| 11 | Billings | 119,434 | 101,549 | 17.6% | 17,885 |
| 12 | Missoula | 76,514 | 65,383 | 17.0% | 11,131 |
| 13 | Laurel | 7,215 | 6,620 | 9.0% | 595 |
| 14 | Great Falls | 60,329 | 57,873 | 4.2% | 2,456 |
| 15 | Anaconda-Deer Lodge County | 9,597 | 9,270 | 3.5% | 327 |
| 16 | Lewistown | 6,087 | 5,954 | 2.2% | 133 |
| 17 | Miles City | 8,407 | 8,308 | 1.2% | 99 |
| 18 | Havre | 9,258 | 9,261 | -0.0% | -3 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS, 2010-current. 18 Montana cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In Montana, You Know?
So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in Montana are led by Belgrade which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.
The fastest-growing cities in Montana are Belgrade, Bozeman, Kalispell, Whitefish, Livingston, Sidney, Helena, Polson, Columbia Falls, and Hamilton.
It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know!
