Bozeman, Whitefish, Columbia Falls: 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 $85,747 and a ridiculously low poverty rate of 13.664691851965838%.
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 2020-2024 American Community Survey for the 26 places in Montana with more than 3,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Richest Places In Montana For 2026
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 2026
1. Bozeman
/10
Population: 56,114
Median Income: $85,747
Median Home Values: $724,089
More on Bozeman: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
2. Whitefish
/10
Population: 8,749
Median Income: $73,811
Median Home Values: $864,156
More on Whitefish: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
3. Columbia Falls
/10
Population: 5,615
Median Income: $75,766
Median Home Values: $599,165
More on Columbia Falls: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
4. Belgrade
/10
Population: 11,872
Median Income: $97,328
Median Home Values: $548,236
More on Belgrade: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
5. Missoula
/10
Population: 76,514
Median Income: $70,392
Median Home Values: $564,622
More on Missoula: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
6. Billings
/10
Population: 119,434
Median Income: $73,712
Median Home Values: $392,208
More on Billings: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
7. Helena
/10
Population: 33,639
Median Income: $71,036
Median Home Values: $474,028
More on Helena: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
8. Kalispell
/10
Population: 28,504
Median Income: $63,415
Median Home Values: $552,745
More on Kalispell: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
9. Livingston
/10
Population: 8,780
Median Income: $65,861
Median Home Values: $531,830
More on Livingston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
10. Laurel
/10
Population: 7,215
Median Income: $68,474
Median Home Values: $374,156
More on Laurel: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In Montana For 2026
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 2020-2024 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 26 places with more than 3,000 people in Montana, we ranked each place from 1 to 26 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 2026.”
The data has been updated for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the wealthiest cities in Montana.
You can skip to the end to see the rankings for all 26 places.
Summary: The Wealthiest Places In Montana For 2026
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, Columbia Falls, Belgrade, Missoula, Billings, Helena, Kalispell, Livingston, and Laurel.
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: Cut Bank
2nd Poorest: Shelby
3rd Poorest: Havre
For more Montana reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Richest Cities In Montana
| Rank | City | RichScore | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bozeman | 2.5 | $85,747 | $724,089 |
| 2 | Whitefish | 3.0 | $73,811 | $864,156 |
| 3 | Columbia Falls | 3.5 | $75,766 | $599,165 |
| 4 | Belgrade | 4.0 | $97,328 | $548,236 |
| 5 | Missoula | 6.5 | $70,392 | $564,622 |
| 6 | Billings | 8.5 | $73,712 | $392,208 |
| 7 | Helena | 9.0 | $71,036 | $474,028 |
| 8 | Kalispell | 9.5 | $63,415 | $552,745 |
| 9 | Livingston | 10.0 | $65,861 | $531,830 |
| 10 | Laurel | 11.5 | $68,474 | $374,156 |
| 11 | Polson | 13.0 | $53,418 | $560,670 |
| 12 | Dillon | 14.0 | $61,134 | $391,899 |
| 13 | Glasgow | 14.0 | $90,310 | $156,841 |
| 14 | Great Falls | 14.5 | $63,373 | $334,707 |
| 15 | Glendive | 15.0 | $72,670 | $192,739 |
| 16 | Miles City | 15.5 | $67,727 | $243,450 |
| 17 | Hamilton | 16.5 | $49,204 | $526,561 |
| 18 | Sidney | 17.0 | $62,538 | $269,780 |
| 19 | Deer Lodge | 18.0 | $60,302 | $285,278 |
| 20 | Anaconda-Deer Lodge County | 18.5 | $57,527 | $287,878 |
| 21 | Hardin | 19.5 | $60,423 | $213,956 |
| 22 | Libby | 20.0 | $34,143 | $346,685 |
| 23 | Lewistown | 20.5 | $48,750 | $296,569 |
| 24 | Havre | 21.5 | $50,329 | $232,554 |
| 25 | Shelby | 21.5 | $58,413 | $179,083 |
| 26 | Cut Bank | 24.0 | $49,432 | $178,057 |