Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,145, settled in 1887. 2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Montana town.
Glasgow gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $167K for a typical one, or 2.3 years of the county’s $72K median household income. It grades B+ overall, 6th of 41 graded towns in Montana. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 88% of U.S. towns. 52% of working residents work locally in Glasgow, against 37% in Montana’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Glasgow's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 98% of U.S. towns. No town among the 42 in Montana we compare has a lower average trip to work than Glasgow.
Where Glasgow beats most towns.
13.5% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Montana), ordered by how far Glasgow is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,158 in 1910, a peak of 6,398 in 1960, 3,202 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1913 and 2 maps from 1958 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Glasgow, 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 Glasgow.
Glasgow has more trail for its size than nearly any town in Montana, has homes that are cheap against local pay and has seen reported crime fall by about half.
At 3.9 miles of trail per square mile, it ranks #2 of 32 Montana towns.
Glasgow’s trail density is 3.9 miles per square mile. 5.5 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Centennial Park | — | 4 |
| 2. Hoyt Park | — | 4 |
| 3. Bundy Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Glasgow K-12 Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irle Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 380 | C+ |
| Glasgow High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 219 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MT on state tests and graduation
At 2.3 years of the county’s $72K median household income, the typical home (about $167K) costs less against local pay than in any other Montana town; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
Typical home values rose 9.8% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Glasgow is $805 a month.
| Glasgow | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $805 a month | $1,004 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Glasgow has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 3° and about 44 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 58 to 31 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
No town among the 26 in Montana we compare has a lower violent crime rate than Glasgow. Within Montana, it does better than 76% of towns.
| Glasgow | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 4.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.5 per 1,000 residents | 15.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 24% of residents (20% statewide). 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Montana.
| Glasgow | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 44.6 years | 38.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 24% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 31% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.6 points. Across Montana, 49.3% of residents are women. Among residents 25 to 34, 66% are women (MT 48%).
| Glasgow | MT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.2% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.8% | 10% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.3% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.3% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.4% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.6% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.7% | 12.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.6% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.1% | 5.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.6% | 27.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 36.7% | 22.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.9% | 9.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.5% | 23.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.2% | 12% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,100, single groups can be off by several points
The average commute for its 1,485 working residents takes 8.5 minutes, against 19.1 across Montana.
Since 2013, Glasgow has lost 159 jobs, to 1,721 in 2023. The top destinations are Billings (4%), Wolf Point (2%) and Nashua (2%). Half commute less than 1 miles.
| Glasgow | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $90,000 | $66,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 11% | 7.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 19 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Glasgow.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Glasgow beats the Montana average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 38% of adults have high blood pressure in Glasgow.
| Glasgow | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 32% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 72% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| What stands out | Glasgow | MT |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with high blood pressure | 37.7% | 31.9% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.1% | 3.5% |
| More adults with heart disease | 7.7% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Glasgow; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Glasgow residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Montana.
4 places in Glasgow on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Montana, United States
Glasgow is a city in and the county seat of Valley County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,202 at the 2020 census. Despite being just the 23rd most populous city in Montana, Glasgow is the most populous city for over 110 mi (177 km), thus making it an important economic hub for a large region in Eastern Montana. Both Amtrak and the National Weather Service operate facilities in Glasgow that link the city to the surrounding region.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Glasgow grades B+ overall, better than 67% of U.S. towns and #6 of 41 in Montana. It grades B− for health, C+ for safety and B− for schools.
Within Montana, it does better than 76% of towns.
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−.
