These Small Montana Cities Among the Best in America
Four Montana cities make the list of 2023's Best Small City
One Montana city was ranked among the top 1% of cities.
Cities were compared based on popular categories like affordability and safety.
Wallet Hub's 2023 Best Small Cities in America is one of the latest studies to rank Montana's small cities and features both familiar and unfamiliar favorites. Given the parameters--that the city was defined as having a population between 25,000 and 100,000--Billings was not included in the study, though Billings has been acknowledged as a top city for disability-related healthcare. That would also eliminate other small towns with populations lower than 25,000 from inclusion on the list.
Read More: Does Billings Have Better Food Than Missoula?
Which Montana Cities Made the List?
Taking population size into account, it might be easy to guess which Montana cities made the list, though some did better than others. The four cities were compared using metrics that included aspects of affordability, economic health, education and health, quality of life, and safety.
Great Falls
Percentile: 28th
Affordability: 543
Economic Health: 872
Education and Health: 840
Quality of Life: 307
Safety: 1,204
Great Falls was the lowest-scoring of the four Montana cities landing overall in the 28th percentile.
Helena
Percentile: 70th
Affordability: 656
Economic Health: 311
Education and Health: 335
Quality of Life: 110
Safety: 1081
It's not often Helena appears in these kinds of lists. Yet, of the 1,300 cities, Helena is in the top 8% for Quality of Life.
Related: These 6 Montana Towns Have the Best Downtowns
Missoula
Percentile: 75th
Affordability: 971
Economic Health: 385
Education and Health: 236
Quality of Life: 51
Safety: 1041
Missoula is in the top 4% of cities that have a high Quality of Life.
Bozeman
Percentile: 99th
Affordability: 1041
Economic Health:10
Education and Health: 71
Quality of Life: 36
Safety: 426
Bozeman is in the top 1% of all small cities in this study with the highest indicator being Economic Health where it's in the top 1% as well. A number of factors contribute to measuring Economic Health, including population growth and the share of the population living in poverty, and the Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce points out that the economy "is one of the strongest in the State of Montana."
Given Bozeman's success, it may not be a "small city" for much longer.