Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,652, settled in 1876.
The best of Forsyth’s subject grades are an A for walkability, schools, and the outdoors; the weakest is a D− for incomes. Only 3 of Montana’s 95 towns score higher on walkability. 18% of the land in Forsyth is conserved, above both the Montana town median (9.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Forsyth has 11 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Rosebud County Deaconess Hospital and Rosebud County Courthouse. Forsyth has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Forsyth beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Forsyth Elementary School | PK–6 | 159 |
| Forsyth 7-8 | 7–8 | 33 |
| Forsyth High School | 9–12 | 103 |
Census counts: 308 in 1890, a peak of 2,553 in 1980, 1,647 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 3 maps from 1968 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Montana), ordered by how far Forsyth is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Forsyth, 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 Forsyth.
Forsyth’s typical rent is $776 a month, against $1,000 a month in Montana’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. Home values are up 7.9% over the year to September 2026. Also worth knowing: for households here, the share who live in a home they own is 61%.
| Forsyth | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $776 a month | $1,000 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 61% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Of its 3 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. The Forsyth Elementary District runs its public schools. The 3 public schools in Forsyth teach 295 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forsyth Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 159 | A |
| Forsyth High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 103 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MT on state tests and graduation
Forsyth beats the Montana average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. Among 42 Montana towns, just 4 have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Forsyth. In Forsyth, 36% of adults have obesity.
| Forsyth | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 32% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 10% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Forsyth | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 16.9% | 20.3% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 78.7% | 73.4% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.6% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The concentration of trails in Forsyth is 1.3 miles per square mile. Trails run 1.6 miles in 3 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves here: 3, covering 15 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Riverside Park | — | 11 |
| 2. Marcyes Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Pioneer Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
For Forsyth, the typical July afternoon high is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Employers in Forsyth shed 327 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 511. About one in three of the town’s working residents works in town. Its typical household income is $40,000. Half the trips to work are shorter than 26 miles.
| Forsyth | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 36% | 39% | 8% |
| Median household income | $40,000 | $67,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The natural-hazard score from FEMA for Forsyth comes to 64 of 100. One declared disaster, in 2011, has brought federal aid to Forsyth households. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 55% come from inland flooding and 28% from cold waves. 3 flood insurance claims have been paid in the town since 1997.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Forsyth; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Forsyth residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
11 places in Forsyth on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Montana, United States
Forsyth is a city in and the county seat of Rosebud County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,647 at the 2020 census. Forsyth was established in 1876 as the first settlement on the Yellowstone River, and in 1882 residents named the town after General James William Forsyth who commanded Fort Maginnis, Montana during the Indian Wars and the 7th Cavalry at the Wounded Knee Massacre. The town has long been a transportation nexus, starting with steamboats on the river and progressing to the Northern Pacific Railway and Interstate 94.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes. That is 4.5 years of the area's median household income ($49,914 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
