Living in Red Lodge, Montana: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 6.5% below the U.S. average in the Billings metro area.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Red Lodge to say.
A safer neighborhood9 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 3.2 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 1.8 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town3 public schools: 1 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byStillwater Billings Clinic in Columbus, about 31 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big citySalt Lake City is about 334 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 Red Lodge 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

Tourist town. About 1 in 4 homes is a vacation or seasonal home, a sign of a visitor economy. More restaurants, shops and weekend events than locals alone could support, with the small-town basics intact.

Boom town. The population is up 20% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

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: $380,700U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 14%Carbon County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $717 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Homes owned by the people living in them: 66%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $2,541 a yearMontana: $2,693
Homes built before 1940: 42%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 5%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 24%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 93.5U.S. average = 100 (the Billings 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 14% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Billings metro area, not Red Lodge 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: 2,7232020: 2,271
Median age: 59.7 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Under 18: 12%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 46%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 2%U.S.: 6%
College students: 6%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: Farming, forestry and mining (22%); professional and business services (14%); retail (12%)
Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 19 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 8%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 7%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Stillwater Billings Clinic, Columbus, MT, about 31 miles away. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital, Billings, MT, about 55 miles away. 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

3 public schools in Red Lodge, run by Red Lodge Elem and Red Lodge H S.

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.

Weather

January average low: 14°F
July average high: 81°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 6 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 192 a year
Rain and melted snow: 22.7 inches a year
Snow: 142 inches a year
Elevation: 5,588 feet

Weather station: Red Lodge (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

Stillwater Billings ClinicEmergency room31

Billings, MTCity of 121,00053

Salt Lake City, UTMetro of 1.3 million334

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: Stillwater Billings Clinic, Billings, Salt Lake City.

Carbon 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

15 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Camp Senia Historic District, Camp Senia Historic District (Boundary Increase and Additional Data), the Hi Bug Historic District and Red Lodge Brewing Company-Red Lodge Canning Company.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Yellowstone National Park38 miles
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area47 miles

Read about Red Lodge's history on Wikipedia.

Know Red Lodge?

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

Columbus, MT2,000 people, 31 miles
Powell, WY6,600 people, 38 miles
Laurel, MT7,200 people, 40 miles
Cody, WY10,400 people, 47 miles
Lovell, WY2,400 people, 49 miles
Big Timber, MT1,700 people, 56 miles

Smaller places

Bearcreek, MT106 people, 5 miles
Roberts, MT (unincorporated)191 people, 11 miles
Belfry, MT (unincorporated)231 people, 13 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.