Billings, Montana
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Billings.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Billings compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 119,960City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $59,000Incorporated place (ACS)25% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 95ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)5% below U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $340,000City limits (ACS)12% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,100City limits (ACS)18% below U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 2.9%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 17 min32% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 2740% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 48launch estimate, not FBI-verified yet
- Property crime rate
- 62launch estimate, not FBI-verified yet
- Summer high
- 89°F2.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 16°F18.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 15 in54% below U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 20523% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Billings with another city
About 119,960 people live in Billings, MT. Households here report a median income near $59,000; our housing-derived cost index is about 95 (close to the national housing-cost baseline). Entry home prices around $340,000 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Big-sky winters and long distances between services matter for relocators. Winter lows around 16°F mean heating costs and snow logistics belong on the checklist. Commutes average near 17 minutes one-way, with walkability near 27/100. A recent county unemployment reading near 2.9% suggests a relatively tight local labor market. This city hasn't had its FBI crime data refreshed yet, so the safety figure is a placeholder estimate — verify current numbers before treating it as authoritative.
Billings is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Billings with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau / American Community Survey (curated seed)
- BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics (curated seed)
- Crime: FBI Crime Data Explorer (curated seed)
- Climate: NOAA Climate Normals (curated seed)
Last updated 2026-07-28