Chief Plenty Coups (Alek-Chea-Ahoosh) House · National Register of Historic Places
Pryor’s story
134 years in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1892Pryor is settled
PryorMT
A town of 497, settled in 1892.
Chief Plenty Coups (Alek-Chea-Ahoosh) House · Public domain
Population
497
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$91K
Census ACS
Household income
$47K
median
Median age
31.1
years
Jobs based here
36
A commuter town
Is Pryor a good place to live?
Chief Plenty Coups (Alek-Chea-Ahoosh) House and Sage Creek Ranger Station is on the National Register of Historic Places. Pryor has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
497 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Pryor: who provides what
Pryor is unincorporated, so Big Horn County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerYellowstone Valley Elec Co-op14.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterPryor Water System1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesBig Horn CountyBig Horn County provides services here
SchoolsPlenty Coups High School DistrictPryor Elementary School District2 districts serve Pryor; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteIn personMontana has no online registration; you can register in person up to and including Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereBig Horn County Election AdministratorBig Horn County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP codes59066, 5910159066 97% · 59101 3%Census 2020
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 Pryor.
Schools
The schools Pryor’s kids attend
Of its 4 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. Its public schools are run by the Pryor Elementary District. 3 public schools serve Pryor, with 140 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrow Creek Elem SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 55 | D |
| Plenty Coups High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 64 | C |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
Pryor stands out in Montana and nationally, with more of its residents who live below the poverty line
Among working residents in Pryor, 5.5% work locally. Only 2 of the 43 Montana towns we compare have a lower income of the median household than Pryor. Its typical journey to work stands at 31 minutes, above both Montana’s towns (17 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Jobs based in Pryor grew to 36 in 2023, 35 more than in 2013.
5%work in town
| Pryor | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 36% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.5% | 39% | 8% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $67,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Pryor5%
Crow Agency22%
Billings18%
Hardin6%
Fort Smith6%
51 mi
median commute distance
36
jobs based in Pryor
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: high risk in Pryor, mostly inland flooding
Pryor’s FEMA risk score stands at 75 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 47% come from inland flooding and 16% from cold waves. One declared disaster, in 2011, has brought federal aid to Pryor households.
75risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesStrong wind
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
32″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter15–36°
Spring31–55°
Summer52–80°
Fall33–57°
Sep 24
typical first frost
May 14
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
A larger share of adults in Pryor worry about having enough food than in the typical Montana or U.S. town
In Pryor, 19% of adults binge drink. Among adults locally, 26% smoke cigarettes, where Montana’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 14%. 23% of adults in Pryor report frequent mental distress; 19% report frequent physical distress. CDC measures, 32 in all: Pryor beats Montana on 1 and trails on 23.
| Pryor | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 18% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 12% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Montana
1 better8 too close to call23 worse
| What stands out | Pryor | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.6% | 9.3% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 17.1% | 6.5% |
Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital
In Billings · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Open space protected for good: 0.7% of Pryor
The biggest park or preserve is Chief Plenty Coups State Park, at 147 acres. There are 33 miles of trail across 1 park or preserve. In Pryor, the density of trails is 0.8 miles per square mile. Only 3 of the 43 Montana towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Pryor.
0.7%conserved
| Pryor | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 9.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
0.7%
conserved · 189 of 25,305 acres
33 mi
of trails · 0.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chief Plenty Coups State Park | — | 147 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Pryor
18pages on Pryor
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Pryor; the nearest are
Montana Bible CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Billings23.2 mi$14,640 tuitionMontana State University BillingsUniversity or college · Public · Billings26.6 mi$7,280 in-state tuitionLittle Big Horn CollegeCommunity college · Public · Crow Agency53.7 mi$3,200 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Pryor residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Montana.
A commuter town
95% of working residents leave Pryor for work
Where Pryor’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
36jobs based in Pryor
5%of working residents work in town
51 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Pryor
Census-designated place in Montana, United States
Pryor (Crow: Baáhpuuo) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Big Horn County, Montana, United States. The community is located on the Crow Indian Reservation. The population was 637 at the 2020 census. It was 618 at the 2010 census. The area, including nearby mountains and a creek, is named for Nathaniel Hale Pryor, a sergeant in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The first post office opened in 1892 with Emma C. Stoeckel as postmaster. The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad built a line through the valley in 1900. It discontinued service in 1910. It is home to Chief Plenty Coups State Park. He was the last traditional tribal chief of the Apsáalooke people.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 40 sq mi
- Elevation
- 4,062 ft
- ZIP code
- 59066
- Area code
- 406
Questions about Pryor
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Pryor, MT a good place to live?
Pryor has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.