Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,776, settled in 1908. 2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Montana town.
Baker’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A− for safety and walkability; its weakest is a C for incomes. On cost of living, just 5 of Montana’s 95 towns do better. Baker’s trail density is 1.5 miles per square mile, against 0.6 in Montana’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Baker's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 100% of U.S. towns. Baker has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Fallon County Jail and Baker Hotel. Baker has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Baker beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Montana), ordered by how far Baker is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,067 in 1920, a peak of 2,584 in 1970, 1,802 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and a map from 1981 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Baker, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Baker.
The typical Baker home is worth about $186,000, up 6.5% in a year, 60% below the Montana typical home. At $776 a month, Baker’s median rent is below both Montana’s towns ($1,000 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
| Baker | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $776 a month | $1,000 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Baker K-12 Schools. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longfellow SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–6 | Grades 3–6 | 158 | B |
| Baker High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 133 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MT on state tests and graduation
Baker’s property crime rate is 0.6 per 1,000 residents. Among 27 Montana towns, just 1 have a lower violent crime rate than Baker. Baker reports less crime per resident than 84% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.
| Baker | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 14.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Baker has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 7° and about 34 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
43% of Baker’s working residents work right in town. Since 2013, Baker has lost 379 jobs, to 673 in 2023. The average trip to work in Baker is 25 minutes.
| Baker | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 43% | 39% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $85,000 | $67,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Baker tracks Montana closely on all 32 CDC measures. 70% of adults had a checkup this year in Baker.
| Baker | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 72% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 32% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 31% | 33% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Baker City Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Baker; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Baker residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
2 places in Baker on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Baker.
City in Montana, United States
Baker is a city in and the county seat of Fallon County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,802 at the 2020 census. It was named after A. G. Baker, an engineer with the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Montana town.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
4 notable people were born here, including Irene Lentz and Bill Bowman.
