The 10 Most Diverse Cities In Montana For 2021


We used data and science to determine the most diverse cities in Montana.

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Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2021. This is our seventh time ranking the most diverse places in Montana.


Most Diverse Cities In Montana

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Race relations in America seem to be hitting a tipping point.

While we still haven't dealt with racism as a society, the election of Donald Trump to the presidency has only flamed the tensions that have been mounting for years.

Part of the reason for that tension? The country as a whole continues to self segregate across race, income, and party lines. But it's not all bad on the race relations front.

There are parts of Montana where there's a high level of diversity -- where people of all walks of life come together. We decided to shine a light on those places today.

Using a standard measure of diversity, we ranked all 17 cities in Montana from most to least diverse.

Here are the 10 most diverse places in Montana for 2021:

  1. Havre
  2. Great Falls
  3. Billings
  4. Sidney
  5. Missoula
  6. Bozeman
  7. Anaconda-Deer Lodge County
  8. Helena
  9. Lewistown
  10. Livingston

So what city is the most diverse in Montana? According to the most Census data, Havre took the number one over all spot for diversity in Montana.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. To see where Montana ranked as a state, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in Ameria.

And if you already knew these places were diverse, check out:

The 10 Most Diverse Places In Montana For 2021

Havre, MT

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 9,786

HHI: 6,494
% White: 79.6%
% African American: 0.3%
% Asian: 0.6%
More on Havre: PhotosData

Great Falls, MT

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 58,835

HHI: 7,168
% White: 84.3%
% African American: 0.8%
% Asian: 0.6%
More on Great Falls: PhotosData

Billings, MT

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 109,595

HHI: 7,310
% White: 85.1%
% African American: 0.6%
% Asian: 0.8%
More on Billings: PhotosData

Sidney, MT

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 6,416

HHI: 7,319
% White: 85.1%
% African American: 0.0%
% Asian: 0.0%
More on Sidney: PhotosData

Missoula, MT

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 73,710

HHI: 7,864
% White: 88.5%
% African American: 0.8%
% Asian: 2.1%
More on Missoula: PhotosData

Bozeman, MT

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 46,746

HHI: 8,056
% White: 89.6%
% African American: 0.7%
% Asian: 2.2%
More on Bozeman: PhotosData

Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, MT

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 9,106

HHI: 8,146
% White: 90.1%
% African American: 0.7%
% Asian: 0.8%
More on Anaconda-Deer Lodge County: PhotosData

Helena, MT

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 32,024

HHI: 8,231
% White: 90.6%
% African American: 0.5%
% Asian: 0.9%
More on Helena: PhotosData

Lewistown, MT

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 5,885

HHI: 8,444
% White: 91.8%
% African American: 0.1%
% Asian: 0.7%
More on Lewistown: PhotosData

Livingston, MT

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,575

HHI: 8,486
% White: 92.0%
% African American: 1.0%
% Asian: 0.0%
More on Livingston: PhotosData

How we determined the most diverse cities in Montana for 2021

We still believe in the accuracy of data -- especially from the census. So that's where we went to get the breakdown of race across Montana.

That lead us to the Census's most recently available data, the 2015-2019 American Community Survey data from the US Census.

Specifically, we looked at table B03002: HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:

  • White alone*
  • Black or African American alone*
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
  • Asian alone*
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
  • Some other race alone*
  • Two or more races*
  • Hispanic or Latino
* Not hispanic or latino

We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 17 cities.

We then calculated the HHI for each city by finding the racial breakdown of a city in percent terms, squaring them, and then adding the squares together. This left us with scores ranging from 6,494 (Havre) to 9,337 (Whitefish).

Finally, we ranked each city based on the HHI with a lower score being more diverse than a high score. Havre took the distinction of being the most diverse, while Whitefish was the least diverse city. You can download the data here.

Read on for more information on how the cities in Montana ranked for diversity or, for a more general take on diversity in america, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.

There You Have It - Diversity Across Montana

If you're looking for a scientific breakdown of diversity across Montana, this is an accurate list.

If you're curious enough, here are the least diverse places in Montana:

  1. Whitefish
  2. Columbia Falls
  3. Laurel

For more Montana reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Most Diverse Cities In Montana For 2021

Rank City Population HHI
1 Havre, MT 9,786 6,494
2 Great Falls, MT 58,835 7,168
3 Billings, MT 109,595 7,310
4 Sidney, MT 6,416 7,319
5 Missoula, MT 73,710 7,864
6 Bozeman, MT 46,746 8,056
7 Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, MT 9,106 8,146
8 Helena, MT 32,024 8,231
9 Lewistown, MT 5,885 8,444
10 Livingston, MT 7,575 8,486
11 Kalispell, MT 23,241 8,516
12 Miles City, MT 8,487 8,523
13 Glendive, MT 5,126 8,695
14 Belgrade, MT 8,685 8,771
15 Laurel, MT 6,834 8,955
16 Columbia Falls, MT 5,429 9,131
17 Whitefish, MT 7,714 9,337

How Is The Area In ?

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.