McAllisterMT
With 202 residents, this town was settled in 1902.
Is McAllister a good place to live?
2.3% of working residents work locally in McAllister, against 39% in Montana’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Of the 43 Montana towns we compare, none has a higher share of households owning their home than McAllister. McAllister has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
202 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to McAllister: who provides what
McAllister is unincorporated, so Madison County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in McAllister.
With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of McAllister’s workers commute out
For half of commuters, work is under 20 miles away. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in McAllister dropped by 46, to 15. Just 2% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. The top destinations are Big Sky (19%), Ennis (16%) and Bozeman (9%).
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
McAllister: snowy winters and pleasant summers
A winter brings about 45 inches of snow, with January nights at 14° and July afternoons at 84°.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
High risk in McAllister, with avalanches at the top
Compared with 63% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in McAllister is higher. FEMA puts 79% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to avalanches, and 9% to inland flooding.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Compared with most of Montana and the rest of the country, fewer of McAllister’s adults report frequent mental distress
Just over a quarter of McAllister adults feel lonely. Of the 42 Montana towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than McAllister. Also worth knowing: this Montana town does better than the Montana average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 6.
| McAllister | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 31% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 18% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 32% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 25% | 23% |
| What stands out | McAllister | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.6% | 11.7% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 5% | 7.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.6% | 9.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
McAllister has set aside 0.9% of its land for conservation
Among 43 Montana towns, just 3 have a lower share of conserved land than McAllister. 1.7 miles of trail. The density of trails here is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| McAllister | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.9% | 9.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about McAllister
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of McAllister; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 McAllister residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
98% of working residents leave McAllister for work
Where McAllister’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About McAllister
Census-designated place in Montana, United States
McAllister is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Madison County, Montana, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 278. McAllister is located on U.S. Route 287, 6 miles (10 km) north of Ennis. The community has a post office with ZIP code 59740. The post office opened in 1869 under the name "Meadow Creek". It was renamed in 1896 for James Alexander McAllister Jr., son of a couple who settled in the area in 1871.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 4,888 ft
- ZIP code
- 59740
Questions about McAllister
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is McAllister, MT a good place to live?
McAllister has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.