Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Miles City gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $246K for a typical one, or 3.5 years of the county’s $71K median household income. It grades B− overall, ranked 14th of 41 in Montana. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 89% of U.S. towns. 58% of working residents work locally in Miles City, above both Montana’s towns (37%) and U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Fort Keogh and US Post Office-Miles City Main. On civic life, just 2 of Montana’s 54 towns do worse.
Where Miles City beats most towns.
Miles City Steam Laundry
Census counts: 629 in 1880, 8,354 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1877 and 2 maps from 1968 on.
15 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Montana), ordered by how far Miles City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Miles City, 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 Miles City.
Miles City has hotter summers than almost anywhere else in Montana and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has seen reported crime rise by about half.
Typical home values rose 8.5% in the year to September 2026. Miles City’s median rent is $926 a month.
| Miles City | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $926 a month | $1,004 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Miles City Elementary District. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Middle School 6-8Largest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 326 | C+ |
| Custer Co District HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 487 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MT on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 106 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Miles City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons average 90°, the #2 highest of 497 Montana places with climate records; January nights average 8.2°.
The July high in Miles City is 90°F. Miles City has cold winters and warm summers, with very little rain. The January low in Miles City is 8°F.
| Miles City | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 90°F | 85°F | 85°F |
| January low | 8°F | 15°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 4,176 working residents takes 10.8 minutes, against 19.1 across Montana.
3.9% of Miles City workers work from home. Among 42 Montana towns, just 4 have a lower average trip to work than Miles City. Since 2013, Miles City has added 315 jobs, to 4,357 in 2023.
| Miles City | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 11 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 3.9% | 8% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $66,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Montana average. 19% of residents are under 18 in Miles City. 25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Montana.
| Miles City | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 19% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 42.6 years | 38.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 31% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 19% | 18% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.5 points. Across Montana, 49.3% of residents are women.
| Miles City | MT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.4% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.6% | 10% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.5% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.3% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.7% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.5% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.3% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.7% | 12.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.9% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.6% | 5.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.8% | 27.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 26% | 22.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.2% | 9.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.3% | 23.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.1% | 12% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 10,295 U.S. towns with household incomes like Miles City’s, it is healthier than 78%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Miles City beats the Montana average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Miles City | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 72% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 32% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 31% | 33% |
| What stands out | Miles City | MT |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16% | 12.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.3 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Among 42 Montana towns, just 1 have a lower trail density than Miles City. The biggest park or preserve is Riverside Park, at 47 acres.
| Miles City | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9.1% | 9.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Riverside Park | — | 47 |
| 2. Bender Park | — | 26 |
| 3. Wibaux Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes rose from 91 to 170 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within Montana, it does better than 84% of towns.
| Miles City | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 4.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16.6 per 1,000 residents | 14.1 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Miles City
About 5 of every 100 Miles City residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Montana.
15 places in Miles City on the National Register of Historic Places.
21 notable people were born in Miles City.
City in Montana, United States
Miles City is a city in and the county seat of Custer County, Montana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Miles City grades B− overall, better than 47% of U.S. towns and #14 of 41 in Montana. It grades B for health, C+ for safety and C for schools.
Within Montana, it does better than 84% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
21 notable people were born here, including Maurice Hilleman and Merle Greene Robertson.
