Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Bozeman grades B+ overall, 7th among Montana's 41 graded towns. It is among the most walkable places in the country. Its schools rank ahead of 94% of Montana towns and it is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $722K, 7.7 years of the Bozeman metro’s $94K median household income. 65% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Bozeman, above both Montana’s towns (30%) and U.S. towns (29%). Its National Register listings include Bozeman Carnegie Library and Bozeman National Fish Hatchery. Bozeman's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Where Bozeman beats most towns.
Bozeman Carnegie Library
Its 63 National Register listings are more than in 97% of Montana towns with a listing.
Census counts: 168 in 1870, 53,293 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1873 and 2 maps from 1953 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Montana), ordered by how far Bozeman is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 7%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bozeman, 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 Bozeman.
Bozeman is among the three healthiest towns in Montana, is shaped by its college students and has schools in the top 5% of Montana.
67 miles of trail in 82 parks and preserves. The trail density in Bozeman is 3.1 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Gallatin County Regional Park, 95 acres with 3.6 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Burke Park | 4.1 mi | 62 |
| 2. Gallatin County Regional Park | 3.6 mi | 95 |
| 3. Glen Lake Rotary Park | 3.2 mi | 94 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A ranks #2 of the 41 Montana towns we grade for schools. Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $722K.
Its public schools are run by the Bozeman Elementary District. Three of its 19 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacajawea Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 807 | A |
| Gallatin High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,442 | B+ |
| Morning Star SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 482 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MT on state tests and graduation
At 7.7 years of the Bozeman metro’s $94K median household income, the typical home (about $722K) costs more against local pay than in 90% of Montana towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $4,183, against $2,693 across Montana, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Bozeman’s median rent is $1,717 a month. Among 42 Montana towns, just 2 have a lower share of households owning their home than Bozeman. The typical Bozeman home is worth about $722,000, up 0.8% in a year, 54% above the Montana typical home.
| Bozeman | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 45% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,717 a month | $994 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 51% | 42% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
It ranks #3 of the 41 Montana towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Montana is heart disease: 3.3% of its 45,075 adults have heart disease, against 6.6% statewide.
20% of adults have high blood pressure in Bozeman. Of the 41 Montana towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who have obesity than Bozeman. 5.2% of adults have diabetes in Bozeman.
| Bozeman | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 20% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 32% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 32% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 5.2% | 10% | 12% |
| What stands out | Bozeman | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.3% | 6.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 1.8% | 3.5% |
| More binge drinkers | 25.2% | 20.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Within Montana, it does better than 52% of towns.
| Bozeman | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 4.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.9 per 1,000 residents | 14.1 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 27 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bozeman.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Bozeman Montana State Univ weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 116 days, shorter than in 98% of U.S. towns. The Bozeman Montana State Univ weather station records that 91 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 96% of U.S. towns.
Bozeman has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 83° and January nights drop to 13°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 27,646 in 2013 to 37,540.
56% of Bozeman’s working residents work right in town. Since 2013, Bozeman has added 9,894 jobs, to 37,540 in 2023. 16% of Bozeman workers work from home.
| Bozeman | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 56% | 37% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 16% | 7.7% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bozeman. Close and well known come first.
Big draw40 mi National ParkYellowstone National Park4.8M visitors a year
in town MuseumMuseum of the Rockies33 mi Ski areaBig Sky Resort455 runs · 4,346 ft vertical
in town MuseumAmerican Computer & Robotics Museum12 mi Ski areaBridger Bowl64 runs · 1,947 ft vertical36 mi Ski areaYellowstone Club99 runs · 2,665 ft verticalYellowstone National Park: James St. John from Newark, Ohio, CC BY 2.0 · Museum of the Rockies: Jllm06, Public domain · American Computer & Robotics Museum: Sesamehoneytart, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Bozeman
College town 24 of every 100 Bozeman residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
37,280 counted in 2010 and 53,293 in 2020; an estimated 58,814 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 9.7% since 2020, after 43% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
63 places in Bozeman on the National Register of Historic Places.
35 notable people were born in Bozeman.
City in Montana, United States
Bozeman ( BOHZ-mən) is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, Bozeman's population was 53,293, making it Montana's fourth-largest city. It is the principal city of the Bozeman, Montana, metropolitan statistical area, consisting of all of Gallatin County, with a population of 118,960. It is the second-largest of Montana's statistical areas.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Bozeman grades B+ overall, better than 67% of U.S. towns and #7 of 41 in Montana. It grades A for health, C− for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Montana, it does better than 52% of towns.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
35 notable people were born here, including Ryan Zinke and Brannon Braga.
