Bozeman, Whitefish, Belgrade: These cities aren’t just some of the best places to live in Montana. They are also home to some of the richest people in the Treasure State.
Bozeman in particular houses the richest residents in the state thanks, in part, to a median household income of $79,903 and a ridiculously low poverty rate of 14.831266337781797%.
If you’re thinking of moving to one of these towns, you’ll probably need to start saving. The richest places in Montana share common characteristics such as having a genius level populous, sky high home prices, and a Pleasantville level of married couples.
How did we come up with these mega wealthy cities? We analyzed Census data from the 2019-2023 American Community Survey for the 25 places in Montana with more than 3,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Richest Places In Montana For 2025
For more on how we calculated the top ten, read on or skip to the end for the full list of the richest cities in Montana.
Rich people not your cup of tea? Feel free to check out some more reading about Montana:
The 10 Richest Cities In Montana For 2025
1. Bozeman
/10
Population: 55,042
Median Income: $79,903
Median Home Values: $717,978
More on Bozeman: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
2. Whitefish
/10
Population: 8,422
Median Income: $71,110
Median Home Values: $857,781
More on Whitefish: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
3. Belgrade
/10
Population: 11,425
Median Income: $88,896
Median Home Values: $551,043
More on Belgrade: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
4. Columbia Falls
/10
Population: 5,531
Median Income: $65,313
Median Home Values: $596,544
More on Columbia Falls: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
5. Missoula
/10
Population: 75,600
Median Income: $65,329
Median Home Values: $560,025
More on Missoula: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
6. Billings
/10
Population: 118,321
Median Income: $71,855
Median Home Values: $393,958
More on Billings: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
7. Helena
/10
Population: 33,126
Median Income: $69,341
Median Home Values: $469,909
More on Helena: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
8. Livingston
/10
Population: 8,635
Median Income: $65,187
Median Home Values: $519,356
More on Livingston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
9. Laurel
/10
Population: 7,198
Median Income: $66,382
Median Home Values: $372,773
More on Laurel: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
10. Kalispell
/10
Population: 26,830
Median Income: $61,590
Median Home Values: $549,043
More on Kalispell: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In Montana For 2025
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the richest places is simply identifying personal incomes. After all, rich people have really high salaries.
However, we don’t believe that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “richest places.” So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2019-2023 American Community Survey and applied Saturday Night Science:
- Median Home Values
- Median Household Income
Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place is. And home values are a measure of wealth. The two combine to define a “Rich City.”
After we collected the data for all 25 places with more than 3,000 people in Montana, we ranked each place from 1 to 25 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the richest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Rich Score,” with the place having the lowest overall Rich Score, Bozeman, crowned the “Richest City In Montana For 2025.”
The data has been updated for 2025. This is our tenth time ranking the wealthiest cities in Montana.
You can skip to the end to see the rankings for all 25 places.
Summary: The Wealthiest Places In Montana For 2025
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the richest places in Montana, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Montana.
The richest cities in Montana are Bozeman, Whitefish, Belgrade, Columbia Falls, Missoula, Billings, Helena, Livingston, Laurel, and Kalispell.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very top of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the poorest cities in Montana, according to data:
Poorest: Shelby
2nd Poorest: Cut Bank
3rd Poorest: Lewistown
For more Montana reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Richest Cities In Montana
| Rank | City | RichScore | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bozeman | 2.0 | $79,903 | $717,978 |
| 2 | Whitefish | 3.0 | $71,110 | $857,781 |
| 3 | Belgrade | 3.5 | $88,896 | $551,043 |
| 4 | Columbia Falls | 6.5 | $65,313 | $596,544 |
| 5 | Missoula | 7.0 | $65,329 | $560,025 |
| 6 | Billings | 7.5 | $71,855 | $393,958 |
| 7 | Helena | 8.5 | $69,341 | $469,909 |
| 8 | Livingston | 10.0 | $65,187 | $519,356 |
| 9 | Laurel | 10.5 | $66,382 | $372,773 |
| 10 | Kalispell | 10.5 | $61,590 | $549,043 |
| 11 | Great Falls | 13.0 | $63,934 | $330,334 |
| 12 | Polson | 13.0 | $51,463 | $563,761 |
| 13 | Glasgow | 14.0 | $76,985 | $153,152 |
| 14 | Glendive | 14.0 | $71,063 | $185,494 |
| 15 | Hamilton | 14.5 | $52,917 | $520,999 |
| 16 | Sidney | 15.5 | $62,992 | $266,209 |
| 17 | Dillon | 17.5 | $51,458 | $379,303 |
| 18 | Miles City | 17.5 | $60,732 | $229,217 |
| 19 | Havre | 18.0 | $58,000 | $232,144 |
| 20 | Deer Lodge | 18.0 | $53,676 | $276,270 |
| 21 | Hardin | 18.5 | $60,463 | $209,444 |
| 22 | Anaconda-Deer Lodge County | 19.5 | $49,533 | $285,337 |
| 23 | Lewistown | 20.5 | $44,195 | $276,799 |
| 24 | Cut Bank | 21.0 | $55,848 | $169,457 |
| 25 | Shelby | 21.5 | $53,357 | $180,395 |