Bridger has a 0% unemployment rate with 66.3% labor force participation. The local economy is led by tourism & hospitality (33.9%) and professional services (28.8%). Housing is affordable at a 2.7x price-to-income ratio. There are 9 homes currently for sale. Safety: 10/10.
Montana isn't just a place to retire or vacation — it's increasingly a destination for young professionals and remote workers drawn by the quality of life, outdoor access, and growing local economies. We ranked Montana towns by the factors that matter most to career-minded residents: job availability, housing you can actually buy, affordability, safety, recreation, and community vitality.
How We Ranked These Towns
Ranked by a composite score: job market health (Census unemployment rate + labor force participation, ×5), housing availability (vacancy rate + inventory, ×3), affordability ratio (×3), safety (FBI UCR, ×3), recreation score (×2), population vitality (×1), and environmental health (×1). Housing data from Zillow Research and Census ACS.
Data last collected: Zillow Research (Jan 2026), U.S. Census ACS (Jan 2026), FBI UCR (Jan 2026), Montana OPI/NCES (Jan 2026), Montana DPHHS (Jan 2026), EPA NPL (Jan 2026). Rankings are updated when data is refreshed. Check individual town profiles for details.
