Montana Locals Debate Newcomers and Housing Costs

There have been many stories about Montana’s changing population. The conversation has been more at the forefront since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over the past five years, we have seen our population grow rapidly. With increased growth comes a lot of issues. Home prices have become so expensive that it’s difficult for people who work and raise a family in Montana to afford to continue to do so.

Why Montana’s Growth Fuels Tension

The anger and resentment towards people moving to Montana can be shocking. There was a road-rage incident recently where two people got into an argument and one told the other to go back to the state where they came from, even though they were both from Montana.

When we hear about incidents like these, it makes us wonder, are there people from any state that won’t get anger directed towards them if they move to Montana? So, we asked the question.

When we discussed the question, it was meant more as a curious question. Like the time we asked about which state should Montana pick a fight with? Montana isn’t going to pick a fight with anyone. The question was meant to see what similarities we may have with other states. There was a lot of anger and hate directed at us for asking the question.

There were over a thousand responses to the question, and a lot of people think that Montana is full and no one from any state should move here. There were others who felt that people should just move within the state.

Most people who were willing to answer with a state name gave respect to our neighbors. If people move from Idaho, Wyoming or the Dakotas, it’s ok with them. Alaska also got a lot of responses.

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A lot of our neighbors are going through the same thing. They are seeing big increases in population and the cost of housing. A lot of us deal with tough weather and we are hard-working and rural states.

What Really Matters to Montanans

The good news about this question is that more of us agree than disagree. It doesn’t matter where you come from, what matters is what type of person you are.

If you are a good and respectful person, it doesn’t matter where you come from, you will be welcome in Montana.

6 States That Had a Greater Population Increase Than Montana Since 2020

World Population Review using Census Bureau data and projections from USCB data have an idea of how much the population has increased in several states. Montana is in the top 10 but is not number 1. Here's a look at how much Montana's population increased and the 6 states that had greater population increases.

Gallery Credit: Ashley