Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A regional job hub with 326 jobs. Settled in 1902, this town now has 590 residents.
Only one of the 42 Montana towns we compare has a lower going rate for rent than Circle. Gladstone Hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places. Circle has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Circle beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 519 in 1930, a peak of 1,117 in 1960, 591 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and a map from 1983 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Circle, 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 Circle.
Among residents in Circle, 6.3% live below the poverty line. Roughly one working resident in three has a job in Circle itself. Its typical journey to work is 15 minutes, where Montana’s towns sit at 17 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. The top destinations are Billings (7%), Wolf Point (6%) and Miles City (2%).
| Circle | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 34% | 39% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.3% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $75,000 | $67,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Circle Elementary District runs its public schools. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. 4 public schools serve Circle, with 210 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bo Peep SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 57 | A+ |
| Circle High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 74 | C− |
| Redwater SchoolTop results in townGrades 4–6 | Grades 4–6 | 48 | A |
NCES · EDFacts
The share of households in Circle who are owner-occupiers is 85%, above both Montana’s towns (64%) and U.S. towns (73%). Typical home values rose 13% in the year to September 2026.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Circle’s natural-hazard score from FEMA stands at 14 of 100. 50% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from cold waves, followed by inland flooding at 25%. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2011.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons reach 86° and January nights drop to 4°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The biggest park or preserve is Circle Park, at 37 acres. Count the trails in 2 parks and preserves and they come to 0.4 miles. In Circle, the concentration of trails is 0.5 miles per square mile.
| Circle | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 10% | 9.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Circle Park | 0.2 mi | 37 |
| 2. Ben Larson Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
In Circle, the median age is 46.2 years. People 65 and older are just over a quarter of residents (20% statewide); children under 18 are 16% of residents (21% statewide). Four-year graduates: 25% of adults 25 and older here, 35% across Montana.
| Circle | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 16% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 46.2 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 30% | 29% |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.6 points. Across Montana, 49.3% of residents are women.
| Circle | MT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.2% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.9% | 10% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.9% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.8% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.5% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.2% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.4% | 12.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.1% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.8% | 5.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 50.3% | 27.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.5% | 22.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.3% | 9.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.3% | 23.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6% | 12% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 600, single groups can be off by several points
Nearly a tenth of Circle adults have diabetes. Among adults in the town, 21% binge drink and 30% sleep under 7 hours.
| Circle | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 72% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 31% | 33% |
| What stands out | Circle | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.1% | 12.3% |
| More adults seeing a dentist | 69.2% | 63.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Circle; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Circle residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
Where Circle’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Montana, United States
Circle is a town in and the county seat of McCone County, Montana, United States. The population was 591 at the 2020 census. The community was so named because a rancher there branded his cattle with the image of a circle.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Circle has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.