Most Densely Populated Cities in Montana: Ranked by People per Square Mile
The densest city in Montana in our data is Laurel, MT, with about 3,118 people per square mile, followed by Columbia Falls, MT (2,670) and Havre, MT (2,639). This list ranks the top 26 places among the 26 Montana communities with at least 5,000 residents.
What are the top 26 in Montana?
| # | City | County | Per sq mi | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laurel, MT | Yellowstone County | 3,118 | 8,526 |
| 2 | Columbia Falls, MT | Flathead County | 2,670 | 7,556 |
| 3 | Havre, MT | Hill County | 2,639 | 10,155 |
| 4 | Great Falls, MT | Cascade County | 2,543 | 65,131 |
| 5 | Belgrade, MT | Gallatin County | 2,494 | 17,743 |
| 6 | Miles City, MT | Custer County | 2,458 | 9,436 |
| 7 | Billings, MT | Yellowstone County | 2,455 | 120,728 |
| 8 | Bozeman, MT | Gallatin County | 2,448 | 57,695 |
| 9 | Missoula, MT | Missoula County | 2,189 | 92,895 |
| 10 | Kalispell, MT | Flathead County | 2,044 | 39,182 |
| 11 | Hamilton, MT | Ravalli County | 2,020 | 6,964 |
| 12 | Helena, MT | Lewis and Clark County | 1,968 | 52,936 |
| 13 | Sidney, MT | Richland County | 1,875 | 6,466 |
| 14 | Glendive, MT | Dawson County | 1,412 | 6,460 |
| 15 | Livingston, MT | Park County | 1,380 | 9,050 |
| 16 | Whitefish, MT | Flathead County | 1,191 | 8,295 |
| 17 | Polson, MT | Lake County | 1,116 | 5,370 |
| 18 | Orchard Homes, MT | Missoula County | 1,039 | 5,847 |
| 19 | Lewistown, MT | Fergus County | 1,013 | 5,987 |
| 20 | Evergreen, MT | Flathead County | 935 | 8,002 |
| 21 | Lockwood, MT | Yellowstone County | 627 | 8,066 |
| 22 | Helena Valley Southeast, MT | Lewis and Clark County | 591 | 8,448 |
| 23 | Four Corners, MT | Gallatin County | 474 | 5,084 |
| 24 | Helena Valley West Central, MT | Lewis and Clark County | 306 | 8,082 |
| 25 | Butte, MT | Silver Bow County | 47 | 34,207 |
| 26 | Anaconda, MT | Deer Lodge County | 10 | 9,140 |
How dense are the cities in Montana?
The densest place is about 2 times as dense as the median place in the state, which has about 1,643 people per square mile. At the other end, Anaconda, MT has about 10. Under our scale, 0 places are an urban core (over 5,000 per square mile), 19 are suburban, and the rest are small towns or rural. Flathead County contributes 4 of the top 26.
Which counties do the top 26 belong to?
The 26 places on this list are spread across 16 counties of Montana. Flathead County has 4 (Columbia Falls, Kalispell, Whitefish, Evergreen); Yellowstone County has 3 (Laurel, Billings, Lockwood); Gallatin County has 3 (Belgrade, Bozeman, Four Corners). Counties with several entries are usually centers of a metropolitan area, where one large city is surrounded by many suburbs that each pass the 5,000-resident threshold.
How does Montana compare with the rest of the country?
The median Montana place with a page has about 8,487 residents, compared with about 13,459 nationwide, so the state's typical community is smaller than the national typical place. The state has 360 communities in total, of which 26 reach 5,000 residents. See the national ranking of the largest cities for comparison.
Quick answers about Montana cities
- Which is the densest city in Montana? Laurel (3,118 per square mile).
- How many Montana cities have more than 100,000 people? 1 in our data.
- How many have 25,000 to 100,000? 6.
- What is the typical size? About 8,487 residents for a place with a page.
How is this ranking made?
The data comes from the SimpleMaps US Cities Database, which gives each place an estimated population and a density in people per square kilometer. We convert density to people per square mile and rank the places with at least 5,000 residents. Boundaries matter: a city that includes large parks or farmland scores lower on density than a compact city of the same size, and population estimates can include areas that share a city's ZIP codes. Read why population figures differ and how density is calculated before you quote a number.
Where to go next
Rankings use dataset estimates, not official counts.