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 moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in West Yellowstone to say.
- A safer neighborhood2 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 1.7 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 5.1 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
- Schools in town3 public schools: 1 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
- A hospital close byBozeman Health Big Sky Medical Center in Big Sky, about 43 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
- Within reach of a big citySalt Lake City is about 272 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 West Yellowstone 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.
West Yellowstone has lost about 7% of its people since 2020, and about 8% of homes stand empty (not counting vacation homes or homes for sale or rent). A shrinking town can mean bargains, but visit Main Street on a weekday and ask what's closed lately.
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
- $504,300U.S.: $332,700
- Home prices since then
- Up 9.5%Gallatin County, 2022 to 2025
- Typical rent, with utilities
- $1,045 a monthU.S.: $1,413
- Homes owned by the people living in them
- 39%U.S.: 65%
- Typical property tax bill
- $2,858 a yearMontana: $2,693
- Homes built before 1940
- 7%U.S.: 12%
- Homes built since 2010
- 7%U.S.: 11%
- Vacation and seasonal homes
- 25%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 West Yellowstone 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
- 1,1912020: 1,278
- Median age
- 31.4 yearsU.S.: 38.9
- Age 65 and older
- 9%U.S.: 17%
- Under 18
- 28%U.S.: 22%
- Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
- 25%U.S.: 36%
- Moved here from another county or state in the past year
- 6%U.S.: 6%
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
- Arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (50%); retail (13%); transportation, warehousing and utilities (8%)
- Unemployment rate
- 2%U.S.: 5%
- Average commute
- 9 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
- Work from home
- 1%U.S.: 15%
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Health care
Nearest emergency room: Bozeman Health Big Sky Medical Center, Big Sky, MT, about 43 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: Madison Memorial Hospital, Rexburg, ID, about 67 miles away. Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.
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 West Yellowstone, run by West Yellowstone K-12.
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
- 62%U.S.: 76%
- Homes with any internet subscription
- 94%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
- 0°F
- July average high
- 80°F
- Days 90°F or hotter
- 2 a year
- Nights at or below freezing
- 274 a year
- Rain and melted snow
- 28.6 inches a year
- Snow
- 177 inches a year
- Elevation
- 6,665 feet
Weather stations: W Yellowstone Gateway (1 mile away) and Hebgen Dam (18 miles away, rain and snow). 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
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: Bozeman Health Big Sky Medical Center, Bozeman, 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
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Watkins Creek Ranch and the West Yellowstone Oregon Shortline Terminus Historic District.
National Park Service sites within about an hour:
- Yellowstone National Parkright here
- John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway40 miles
- Grand Teton National Park42 miles
Read about West Yellowstone's history on Wikipedia.
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
- St. Anthony, ID4,000 people, 56 miles
- Ennis, MT1,100 people, 56 miles
- Sugar City, ID2,500 people, 63 miles
- Driggs, ID2,400 people, 64 miles
- Rexburg, ID40,000 people, 67 miles
- Four Corners, MT5,800 people, 70 miles
Smaller places
- Island Park, ID190 people, 14 miles
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
- 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
- FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
- 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
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
- U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
- National Park Service, park unit boundaries
- USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas
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.