The 10 Montana Cities With The Largest Native American Population For 2023


We used data and science to determine the cities in Montana with the largest Native American population.

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Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the cities in Montana with the largest Native American population.

There are three major races in America that come to most of our minds right away:

  1. White
  2. Hispanic
  3. African American

But those are only the major races, there's a whole bunch of other races people are interested in knowing about.

And today, we are going to look at the percent of the population in Montana that are Native American.

Native Americans are not a major portion of the current American Population, but they are still very important.

There are now over 2 million people who identify as Native American living in America, making up .65% of the total population. According to the most recent American Community Survey, the Native American population in Montana is 62,967 - at 5.8% of the total population of Montana.

So, what how does the Native American population stratify across Montana? Which cities and towns in Montana have seen the greatest increase in their Native American population?

The 10 Cities In Montana With The Largest Native American Population For 2023

  1. Lame Deer
  2. North Browning
  3. Wolf Point
  4. Pablo
  5. Hardin
  6. Cut Bank
  7. Polson
  8. Havre
  9. Shelby
  10. Colstrip

Which city in Montana had the largest Native American population?

Lame Deer took the number one over all spot for the largest Native American population in Montana for 2023. 96.41% of Lame Deer identify as Native American.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.

To see where Montana ranked as a state on diversity, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in America.

And if you already knew these places were Native American, check out the best places to live in Montana or the most diverse places in Montana.

For more Montana reading, check out:

Cities In Montana With The Largest Native American Population For 2023

Lame Deer, MT

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,231
% Native American: 96.41%
# Of Native American Residents: 2,151
Percent Change Since 2010: 14.29%
More on Lame Deer: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,253
% Native American: 91.92%
# Of Native American Residents: 2,990
Percent Change Since 2010: 19.98%
More on North Browning: Real Estate | Data

Wolf Point, MT

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,638
% Native American: 49.43%
# Of Native American Residents: 1,304
Percent Change Since 2010: 18.98%
More on Wolf Point: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Pablo, MT

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 2,037
% Native American: 45.61%
# Of Native American Residents: 929
Percent Change Since 2010: -5.78%
More on Pablo: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Hardin, MT

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 3,754
% Native American: 44.27%
# Of Native American Residents: 1,662
Percent Change Since 2010: 30.15%
More on Hardin: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Cut Bank, MT

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 3,049
% Native American: 21.02%
# Of Native American Residents: 641
Percent Change Since 2010: 28.46%
More on Cut Bank: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Polson, MT

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,161
% Native American: 13.12%
# Of Native American Residents: 677
Percent Change Since 2010: 23.54%
More on Polson: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Havre, MT

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 9,417
% Native American: 11.71%
# Of Native American Residents: 1,103
Percent Change Since 2010: -9.44%
More on Havre: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Shelby, MT

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 3,139
% Native American: 7.77%
# Of Native American Residents: 244
Percent Change Since 2010: 75.54%
More on Shelby: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Colstrip, MT

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 2,094
% Native American: 5.25%
# Of Native American Residents: 110
Percent Change Since 2010: -5.17%
More on Colstrip: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Montana With The Largest Native American Population For 2023

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 2017-2021 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:

  • Hispanic or Latino
  • 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*
* Not Hispanic or latino

Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as American Indian and Alaska Native alone.

We limited our analysis to places with a population greater than 2,000 people. That left us with 48 cities.

We then calculated the percent of residents that are American Indian and Alaska Native. The percentages ranked from 96.41% to 0.0%.

Finally, we ranked each city based on the percent of American Indian and Alaska Native population with a higher score being more American Indian and Alaska Native than a lower score. Lame Deer took the distinction of being the most American Indian and Alaska Native, while Four Corners was the least Native American city.

Read on for more information on how the cities in Montana ranked by population of American Indian and Alaska Native residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.

Summary: Native American Populations Across Montana

If you're looking for a breakdown of Native American populations across Montana according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.

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

  1. Four Corners
  2. Lolo
  3. Evergreen

For more Montana reading, check out:

What Are The Most Native American Places In Montana?

Rank City % Native American Population
1 Lame Deer 96.41% 2,231
2 North Browning 91.92% 3,253
3 Wolf Point 49.43% 2,638
4 Pablo 45.61% 2,037
5 Hardin 44.27% 3,754
6 Cut Bank 21.02% 3,049
7 Polson 13.12% 5,161
8 Havre 11.71% 9,417
9 Shelby 7.77% 3,139
10 Colstrip 5.25% 2,094
11 Malta 5.17% 2,031
12 Libby 4.48% 2,745
13 Great Falls 4.42% 60,381
14 Billings 4.24% 115,689
15 Conrad 3.7% 2,758
16 Glasgow 3.57% 3,192
17 Orchard Homes 2.77% 5,170
18 Malmstrom Afb 2.37% 4,098
19 Dillon 2.26% 3,930
20 Lockwood 2.04% 7,162
21 Helena Valley Northwest 2.02% 4,653
22 Townsend 1.93% 2,224
23 Missoula 1.86% 73,300
24 Hamilton 1.84% 4,632
25 Anaconda-Deer Lodge County 1.52% 9,380
26 Belgrade 1.24% 10,555
27 Helena Valley Southeast 1.18% 9,316
28 Helena 1.12% 32,060
29 Kalispell 0.96% 24,260
30 Glendive 0.93% 4,928
31 Miles City 0.84% 8,441
32 Lewistown 0.84% 5,967
33 Helena Valley Northeast 0.78% 3,607
34 Bozeman 0.71% 51,574
35 Whitefish 0.62% 7,783
36 Laurel 0.47% 7,164
37 Montana City 0.37% 2,735
38 Helena Valley West Central 0.34% 8,550
39 Red Lodge 0.3% 2,032
40 Columbus 0.29% 2,069
41 Sidney 0.21% 6,240
42 Bigfork 0.17% 4,683
43 Columbia Falls 0.17% 5,304
44 Livingston 0.14% 8,110
45 Deer Lodge 0.07% 2,938
46 Evergreen 0.06% 7,988
47 Lolo 0.0% 4,338
48 Four Corners 0.0% 5,649

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.