10 Best Montana Towns for Young Professionals

10 Best Montana Towns for Young Professionals

Build Your Career in Big Sky Country

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.

#1
BridgerThe Heart of Clark's Fork Valley
Pop. 719

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.

Unemp: 0%
Top Industry: Tourism & Hospitality
Affordability: 2.7x
Rec Score: 9.3/10
#2
BakerThe Heart of Fallon County
Pop. 1,780

Baker has a 0% unemployment rate with 60.3% labor force participation. The local economy is led by agriculture & mining (27.6%) and retail (15.7%). Housing is affordable at a 2.2x price-to-income ratio. There are 19 homes currently for sale. Safety: 9.5/10.

Unemp: 0%
Top Industry: Agriculture & Mining
Affordability: 2.2x
Rec Score: 6.8/10
#3
GlendiveThe Paddlefish Capital of the World
Pop. 4,873

Glendive has a 5.2% unemployment rate with 56.7% labor force participation. The local economy is led by education & healthcare (23.4%) and transportation (16.9%). Housing is affordable at a 2.6x price-to-income ratio. There are 59 homes currently for sale. Safety: 8.8/10.

Unemp: 5.2%
Top Industry: Education & Healthcare
Affordability: 2.6x
Rec Score: 7.9/10
#4
ChinookHome of the Warm Winds
Pop. 1,154

Chinook has a 2.7% unemployment rate with 65.2% labor force participation. The local economy is led by education & healthcare (23%) and retail (16%). Housing is affordable at a 2.8x price-to-income ratio. There are 8 homes currently for sale. Safety: 8.4/10.

Unemp: 2.7%
Top Industry: Education & Healthcare
Affordability: 2.8x
Rec Score: 6.8/10
#5
GlasgowMontana's Great Getaway
Pop. 3,190

Glasgow has a 0.5% unemployment rate with 67.6% labor force participation. The local economy is led by education & healthcare (28.6%) and retail (16.6%). Housing is affordable at a 1.9x price-to-income ratio. There are 14 homes currently for sale. Safety: 7/10.

Unemp: 0.5%
Top Industry: Education & Healthcare
Affordability: 1.9x
Rec Score: 7.7/10
#6
EnnisThe Trout Capital of Montana
Pop. 917

Ennis has a 1.2% unemployment rate with 65.5% labor force participation. The local economy is led by tourism & hospitality (28.9%) and retail (18.9%). Housing is moderate at a 10.1x price-to-income ratio. There are 41 homes currently for sale. Safety: 8.1/10.

Unemp: 1.2%
Top Industry: Tourism & Hospitality
Affordability: 10.1x
Rec Score: 9.8/10
#7
West YellowstoneThe Yellowstone Gateway
Pop. 1,272

West Yellowstone has a 0.9% unemployment rate with 75.1% labor force participation. The local economy is led by tourism & hospitality (52.5%) and transportation (12.7%). Housing is moderate at a 10.5x price-to-income ratio. There are 14 homes currently for sale. Safety: 7.2/10.

Unemp: 0.9%
Top Industry: Tourism & Hospitality
Affordability: 10.5x
Rec Score: 9.5/10
#8
SidneyThe Sunrise City
Pop. 6,171

Sidney has a 4.1% unemployment rate with 72.3% labor force participation. The local economy is led by education & healthcare (13.9%) and retail (11.4%). Housing is moderate at a 4.1x price-to-income ratio. There are 24 homes currently for sale. Safety: 8.3/10.

Unemp: 4.1%
Top Industry: Education & Healthcare
Affordability: 4.1x
Rec Score: 7.2/10
#9
BelgradeThe Hub of the Gallatin Valley
Pop. 12,509

Belgrade has a 2.5% unemployment rate with 77.7% labor force participation. The local economy is led by construction (18.8%) and education & healthcare (16.6%). Housing is moderate at a 6x price-to-income ratio. There are 96 homes currently for sale. Safety: 7.2/10.

Unemp: 2.5%
Top Industry: Construction
Affordability: 6x
Rec Score: 9.7/10
#10
Thompson FallsThe Heart of the Clark Fork
Pop. 1,336

Thompson Falls has a 0% unemployment rate with 57.5% labor force participation. The local economy is led by education & healthcare (18.5%) and transportation (16.6%). Housing is moderate at a 7x price-to-income ratio. There are 27 homes currently for sale. Safety: 7.4/10.

Unemp: 0%
Top Industry: Education & Healthcare
Affordability: 7x
Rec Score: 9.5/10

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.

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