Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,091, established in 1924.
The best of Colstrip’s subject grades are an A+ for safety, the outdoors, and civic life; the weakest is a C− for schools. Colstrip’s average trip to work is 11 minutes, below both the Montana town median (17 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). No town in Montana scores higher than Colstrip on safety. Colstrip is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 72% of U.S. towns. Colstrip’s trail density is 2.5 miles per square mile, above both Montana’s towns (0.6) and U.S. towns (0.4). Only 4 of Montana’s 95 towns score higher on the outdoors. The biggest park or preserve is Stillwater Park, at 48 acres. Colstrip has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Colstrip beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Montana), ordered by how far Colstrip is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,346 in 2000, 2,096 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1933 and 2 maps from 1971 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Colstrip, 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 Colstrip.
Colstrip’s violent crime rate is 0 per 1,000 residents. Only 1 of the 27 Montana towns we compare have a lower property crime rate than Colstrip.
| Colstrip | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 14.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Colstrip Elementary District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Butte Elementary SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 217 | C |
| Colstrip High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 155 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MT on state tests and graduation
The median rent in Colstrip is $659 a month. The typical Colstrip home is worth about $232,000, up 1.1% in a year, 50% below the Montana typical home. 83% of Colstrip households own their home.
| Colstrip | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 83% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $659 a month | $1,000 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Adults 35 to 64 are 51% of residents (37% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 8% of residents (22% statewide). 14% of residents are 65 or older in Colstrip. 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Montana.
| Colstrip | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 44.2 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 30% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.2 points. Across Montana, 49.3% of residents are women.
| Colstrip | MT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.3% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 17.8% | 10% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 3.4% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 18.8% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.1% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.9% | 12.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.6% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.6% | 5.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.6% | 27.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.7% | 22.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17.1% | 9.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.3% | 23.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.6% | 12% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,100, single groups can be off by several points
Colstrip beats the Montana average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Colstrip | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 20% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 72% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 10% | 12% |
| What stands out | Colstrip | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.2% | 6.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.8% | 3.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Colstrip has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 12° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
41% of Colstrip’s working residents work right in town. Since 2013, Colstrip has added 228 jobs, to 806 in 2023. The top destinations are Billings (6%), Lame Deer (6%) and Forsyth (3%).
| Colstrip | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 41% | 39% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 9.4% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Prospector Park | 0.7 mi | 21 |
| 2. Stillwater Park | 0.5 mi | 48 |
| 3. Big Timber Park | 0.4 mi | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 53% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Colstrip since 1997.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Colstrip; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Colstrip residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
City in Montana, United States
Colstrip is a city in Rosebud County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,096 at the 2020 census. Established in 1924 and incorporated as a city in 1998, Colstrip is the largest city in Rosebud County, with 25.2% of the total population in 2020. Colstrip's primary industries are coal mining and electricity production. It had 4 coal-fired plants from 1975 and 1976, and 1984 and 1986 respectively. The former two were shut down in 2020, while the latter two are still operating without modern pollution controls. As of 2025, these are the most particulate matter polluting plants in the US.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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 B+.