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List of Cities and Counties in Montana

Discover Montana population facts easily with our list of counties and cities. Find out how many people live in each area, from big cities to small towns, and see how Montana’s population is spread out across the state.

Montana Counties by Population

A county is an administrative subdivision of a US state or territory. As of 2024, Montana is divided into 56 counties. 

The average population of Montana counties is 19,719; Yellowstone County is the most populous (167,146) and Petroleum County is the least (519). The average land area is 2595 sq mi. The largest county is Beaverhead County (5,543 sq mi) and the smallest is Silver Bow County (718 sq mi).

read about the Population of Montana

#CountyPopulation 2020Area (sq. mi.)Density (people/sq. mi.)
1Yellowstone County167,1462,63563.43
2Gallatin County122,7132,50748.95
3Missoula County119,5332,59846.01
4Flathead County108,4545,09921.27
5Cascade County84,5112,69831.32
6Lewis and Clark County72,2233,46120.87
7Ravalli County45,9592,39419.20
8Silver Bow County35,41171849.32
9Lake County32,0331,49421.44
10Lincoln County20,5253,6135.68
11Park County17,4732,6566.58
12Hill County16,1792,8965.59
13Glacier County13,7852,9954.60
14Sanders County12,9592,7624.69
15Big Horn County12,9574,9952.59
16Jefferson County12,4701,6577.53
17Custer County11,9163,7833.15
18Fergus County11,6174,3392.68
19Richland County11,2832,0845.41
20Carbon County10,8472,0485.30
21Roosevelt County10,8212,3564.59
22Beaverhead County9,5245,5431.72
23Deer Lodge County9,49173712.88
24Stillwater County9,0441,7955.04
25Madison County8,9173,5872.49
26Dawson County8,9042,3733.75
27Rosebud County8,1245,0121.62
28Valley County7,5374,9211.53
29Broadwater County7,2881,1926.11
30Powell County6,9992,3263.01
31Blaine County6,9804,2261.65
32Teton County6,2692,2732.76
33Pondera County5,9941,6253.69
34Chouteau County5,9163,9731.49
35Toole County5,0111,9112.62
36Musselshell County4,8961,8672.62
37Mineral County4,8601,2203.98
38Phillips County4,1925,1400.82
39Sweet Grass County3,7231,8552.01
40Sheridan County3,5271,6772.10
41Granite County3,3441,7281.94
42Fallon County3,0171,6201.86
43Wheatland County2,0591,4231.45
44Judith Basin County2,0441,8701.09
45Meagher County1,9642,3920.82
46Liberty County1,9461,4301.36
47McCone County1,7182,6430.65
48Powder River County1,7023,2970.52
49Daniels County1,6861,4261.18
50Carter County1,4283,3400.43
51Garfield County1,2094,6680.26
52Prairie County1,0911,7370.63
53Wibaux County9348891.05
54Golden Valley County8311,1750.71
55Treasure County7689790.78
56Petroleum County5191,6540.31

Source: US Census report 2021

read about race and ethnicity in Montana

Top Cities in Montana by population

Montana is divided into 56 counties and contains 129 municipalities consisting of cities and towns. The largest city in Montana is Billings followed by Missoula and Great Falls. 

let’s look at the Top Cities in Montana by Population

#CityPopulation
1Billings117,116
2Missoula73,489
3Great Falls60,442
4Bozeman53,293
5Butte-Silver Bow35,133
6Helena32,091
7Kalispell24,558
8Belgrade10,460
9Anaconda-Deer Lodge County9,421
10Havre9,362

Source: US Census Bureau population estimate 2020

Most Populous Counties in Montana

The most populous county in Montana is Yellowstone County with 167,146  residents. It was followed by Gallatin County (122,713) and Missoula County (119,533)

Let’s have a look at the Top 10 most populous counties

#CountyPopulation 2020
1Yellowstone County167,146
2Gallatin County122,713
3Missoula County119,533
4Flathead County108,454
5Cascade County84,511
6Lewis and Clark County72,223
7Ravalli County45,959
8Silver Bow County35,411
9Lake County32,033
10Lincoln County20,525
Least Populated Montana County

The least populous county is Petroleum County with 519 residents, it’s followed by Treasure County and Golden Valley County.

Let’s have a look at 5 least populated counties in Montana

#CountyPopulation 2020
1Petroleum County519
2Treasure County768
3Golden Valley County831
4Wibaux County934
5Prairie County1,091

source: US Census 2021

read about religion in Montana

Largest counties in Montana by area

The Largest county by Land Area in Montana is Beaverhead County with an area of 5,543 sq. miles. Phillips County with an area of 5,140 sq. mi. comes next followed by Flathead County (5,099 sq. mi.)

Let’s have a look at the Top 10 counties by Area

#CountyArea (sq. mi.)
1Beaverhead County5,543
2Phillips County5,140
3Flathead County5,099
4Rosebud County5,012
5Big Horn County4,995
6Valley County4,921
7Garfield County4,668
8Fergus County4,339
9Blaine County4,226
10Chouteau County3,973
Smallest County in Montana by area

The smallest county by area in Montana is Silver Bow County with an area of 718 square miles.

#CountyArea (sq. mi.)
1Silver Bow County718
2Deer Lodge County737
3Wibaux County889
4Treasure County979
5Golden Valley County1,175

source: US Census report 2021

Most Densely populated Counties in Montana

The most densely populated county in Montana is Yellowstone County, with 64  people per sq. mi. Next comes Silver Bow  county with 50 people per sq. mi. followed by Gallatin county (49/ sq.mi)

Let’s have a look at the Top 10 densely populated counties

#CountyDensity (people/sq. mi.)
1Yellowstone County63.43
2Silver Bow County49.32
3Gallatin County48.95
4Missoula County46.01
5Cascade County31.32
Least Densely Populated County in Montana

Garfield County with a population density of just 0.26 people per sq. miles is the least densely populated county in Montana

#CountyDensity (people/sq. mi.)
1Garfield County0.26
2Petroleum County0.31
3Carter County0.43
4Powder River County0.52
5Prairie County0.63

Sources

Religion in United States
Race and Ethnicity in US
US State by Population
List of counties in Montana 2024 | Top Cities in Montana

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