Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Livingston grades C− overall, 35th among Montana's 41 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 90% of U.S. towns and it has 5 miles of trail. On the other side, its crime rate is higher than 80% of U.S. towns, with 29 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Livingston has 17 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them B Street District and KPRK Radio. Livingston's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 100% of U.S. towns. Of the 42 Montana towns we compare, none has a higher average trip to work than Livingston.
Where Livingston beats most towns.
B Street District
Census counts: 2,850 in 1890, 8,040 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1883 and 2 maps from 1951 on.
17 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Montana), ordered by how far Livingston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Livingston, 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 Livingston.
Livingston has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Montana.
Reported crimes fell from 243 to 155 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
At 3.2 per 1,000 residents, Livingston’s violent crime rate is below Montana’s towns (4.5) but above U.S. towns (1.6). Livingston reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 80% report less. Within Montana, it does better than 40% of towns.
| Livingston | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 4.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.8 per 1,000 residents | 15.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Livingston Elementary District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Park High School, with 420 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| B A Winans SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 267 | – |
| Park High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 420 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MT on state tests and graduation
5.3 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. At 0.9 miles per square mile, Livingston’s trail density is where Montana’s towns sit at 0.6 and U.S. towns at 0.4. The biggest park or preserve is Miles Park, at 24 acres.
| Livingston | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8.9% | 9.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Miles Park | 0.3 mi | 24 |
| 2. Sacajawea Park | 0.1 mi | 18 |
| 3. Jack Weimer Memorial Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 10,072 U.S. towns with household incomes like Livingston’s, it is healthier than 88%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Livingston beats the Montana average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 71% of adults had a checkup this year in Livingston.
| Livingston | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 72% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| What stands out | Livingston | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.4% | 12.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Livingston 12 S weather station, 12 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 125 days, shorter than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Livingston has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 17° and about 63 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Livingston.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
About one in 3 of Livingston’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Livingston grew to 3,530 in 2023, 618 more than in 2013. 14% of Livingston residents live below the poverty line.
| Livingston | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 37% | 41% | 8% |
| Work from home | 14% | 7.7% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $68,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 7.6 years of the county’s $70K median household income, the typical home (about $533K) costs more against local pay than in 87% of Montana towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living.
The typical Livingston home is worth about $533,000, about the same as a year ago, 14% above the Montana typical home.
| Livingston | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,046 a month | $994 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Montana average. Livingston has grown 7.8% since 2020, to 9,290 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Livingston’s median age is 43.8 years.
| Livingston | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 43.8 years | 38.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 30% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 19% | 18% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.1 points. Across Montana, 49.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 45.2, men 42.4.
| Livingston | MT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.5% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.9% | 10% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.6% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.4% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.9% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.3% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14% | 12.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.4% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.4% | 5.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.1% | 27.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.7% | 22.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.2% | 9.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.3% | 23.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.4% | 12% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
None within 15 miles of Livingston; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Livingston residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
7,044 counted in 2010 and 8,040 in 2020; an estimated 9,290 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 7.8% since 2020, after 14.1% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
17 places in Livingston on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Livingston.
City in Park County, Montana, United States
Livingston is a city in and the county seat of Park County, Montana, United States. It is in southwestern Montana, on the Yellowstone River, north of Yellowstone National Park. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,040.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Livingston grades C− overall, better than 18% of U.S. towns and #35 of 41 in Montana. It grades B+ for health, C− for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within Montana, it does better than 40% of towns.
Yes. That is 7.6 years of the area's median household income ($70,047 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−.
11 notable people were born here, including Pete Lovely and Torey Hayden.
