Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,736, settled in 1880. 68% more nonprofits per person than the typical Montana town.
Glendive gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $201K for a typical one, or 2.8 years of the county’s $71K median household income. It grades B− overall, ranked 13th of 41 in Montana. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 84% of U.S. towns. 46% of working residents work locally in Glendive, where Montana’s towns sit at 37% and U.S. towns at 8%. Glendive has 11 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Charles Krug House and US Post Office. Glendive's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 92% of U.S. towns.
Where Glendive beats most towns.
Census counts: 500 in 1880, a peak of 7,058 in 1960, 4,873 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1895 and 2 maps from 1967 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 Glendive is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Glendive, 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 Glendive.
Glendive is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and has a shorter frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Montana.
At 2.8 years of the county’s $71K median household income, the typical home (about $201K) costs less against local pay than in 95% of Montana towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
Typical home values rose 7.8% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Glendive is $842 a month.
| Glendive | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $842 a month | $1,004 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Glendive Elementary District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Dawson High School, with 318 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 260 | C |
| Dawson High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 318 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MT on state tests and graduation
Against the 10,710 U.S. towns with household incomes like Glendive’s, it is healthier than 86%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Glendive beats the Montana average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 70% of Glendive adults had a checkup this year.
| Glendive | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 72% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 10% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 32% | 36% |
| What stands out | Glendive | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9% | 12.3% |
| More adults seeing a dentist | 66.9% | 63.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Glendive’s violent crime rate is 5.1 per 1,000 residents. Within Montana, it does better than 64% of towns.
| Glendive | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.1 per 1,000 residents | 4.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.7 per 1,000 residents | 15.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
0.4 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. Only 2 of the 42 Montana towns we compare have a lower trail density than Glendive.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Perham Field | — | 8 |
| 2. Lloyd Square Park | — | 7 |
| 3. Penninger Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Glendive weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 153 days: shorter than most of the country, but longer than 100% of Montana places with climate records.
Glendive has cold winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 6° and about 23 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
14% of residents live below the poverty line in Glendive. Since 2013, Glendive has lost 260 jobs, to 2,209 in 2023. The top destinations are West Glendive (12%), Billings (4%) and Miles City (3%).
| Glendive | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $66,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Glendive.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Glendive
About 6 of every 100 Glendive residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Montana.
11 places in Glendive on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Glendive.
City in Montana, United States
Glendive is a city in and the county seat of Dawson County, Montana, United States, and home to Dawson Community College. Glendive was established by the Northern Pacific Railway during the building of the railroad line. The town of Glendive is an agricultural and ranching hub of eastern Montana sited between the Yellowstone River and the Badlands. Makoshika State Park is located just east of Glendive. The population was 4,873 at the 2020 census, and was estimated at 4,760 in 2024.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Glendive.
| Town | MT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glendive | #13 | B− | A− | C | C | B+ |
| West Glendive | — | — | A− | — | C | B− |
West Glendive has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. West Glendive reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Glendive with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Glendive grades B− overall, better than 48% of U.S. towns and #13 of 41 in Montana. It grades B+ for health, C for safety and C for schools.
Within Montana, it does better than 64% 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−.
9 notable people were born here, including Adam Morrison and Kamran Ince.
