Living in Bozeman, Montana: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 2.5% above the U.S. average in the Bozeman metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 8 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood231 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 3.9 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 15.9 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town19 public schools: 12 elementary, 5 middle and 2 high schools.
A hospital close byBozeman Health Deaconess Hospital is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big citySalt Lake City is about 342 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Bozeman meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

College town. About 1 in 4 residents is a college student, with Montana State University in town. Concerts, sports and good food all year, and a big employer that rarely closes. Expect higher home prices close to campus.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $687,900U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 9.5%Gallatin County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,717 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $85,747U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 45%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $4,183 a yearMontana: $2,693
Homes built before 1940: 9%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 30%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 2%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 102.5U.S. average = 100 (the Bozeman metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 9.5% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Bozeman metro area, not Bozeman alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 58,8142020: 53,890
Median age: 28.9 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 11%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 13%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 65%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 16%U.S.: 6%
College students: 24%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (26%); professional and business services (15%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (14%)
Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 16 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 16%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 14%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital, Bozeman, MT, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

19 public schools in Bozeman, run by Bozeman Elem and Monforton Elem.

Colleges in or next to town: Montana State University (10,000 to 19,999 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Montana's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 80%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 92%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 15°F
July average high: 82°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 12 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 178 a year
Rain and melted snow: 20 inches a year
Snow: 91 inches a year
Elevation: 4,801 feet

Weather station: Bozeman Montana State Univ (1 mile away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Billings, MTCity of 121,000121

Salt Lake City, UTMetro of 1.3 million342

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Billings, Salt Lake City.

Gallatin County is in a metro area of fewer than 250,000 people (USDA rural-urban code 3, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

69 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Bon Ton Historic District, the Bozeman Brewery Historic District, the Cooper Park Historic District and the Lindley Place Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Yellowstone National Park40 miles

Campus life. Check Montana State University's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Bozeman's history on Wikipedia.

Know Bozeman?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Four Corners, MT5,800 people, 6 miles
Belgrade, MT13,100 people, 9 miles
Manhattan, MT2,100 people, 18 miles
Livingston, MT9,300 people, 24 miles
Three Forks, MT1,900 people, 28 miles
Ennis, MT1,100 people, 40 miles

Smaller places

King Arthur Park, MT (unincorporated)1,992 people, 4 miles
Gallatin Gateway, MT (unincorporated)933 people, 9 miles
Churchill, MT (unincorporated)1,167 people, 13 miles
Springhill, MT (unincorporated)187 people, 14 miles
Amsterdam, MT (unincorporated)130 people, 14 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.