Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,723, settled in 1884. 86% more nonprofits per person than the typical Montana town.
Red Lodge is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B+ overall, ranked 4th of 41 in Montana, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: it is healthier than 78% of U.S. towns. It also does better than most on schools: its schools rank ahead of 66% of Montana towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $56K, and 7% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $520K, 6.7 years of the Billings metro’s $77K median household income. 53% of working residents work locally in Red Lodge, above both the Montana town median (37%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). On hazard risk, just 1 of Montana’s 95 towns do worse. Red Lodge is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns.
Where Red Lodge beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 624 in 1890, a peak of 4,860 in 1910, 2,257 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1915 and 2 maps from 1985 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 Red Lodge is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Red Lodge, 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 Red Lodge.
Red Lodge fares better on crime within Montana than nationally, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Montana (mostly inland flooding) and is a long drive from an emergency room.
5.8 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The trail density in Red Lodge is 2.2 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Coal Miners Park, at 30 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Coal Miners Park | 0.4 mi | 30 |
| 2. Rotary Park | — | 6 |
| 3. Lions Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Red Lodge Elementary District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain View SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 192 | B+ |
| Red Lodge High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 176 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MT on state tests and graduation
1,451 jobs are based in Red Lodge, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 1,066 in 2013 to 1,451.
Jobs based in Red Lodge grew to 1,451 in 2023, 385 more than in 2013. Red Lodge’s average trip to work is 19 minutes. The top destinations are Billings (11%), Helena (2%) and Bozeman (1%).
| Red Lodge | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.7% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 100% of Montana towns, with expected losses of about $1,193 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
No town among the 41 in Montana we compare has a higher FEMA risk score than Red Lodge. Since 2011, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Red Lodge.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The nearest emergency room, Stillwater Billings Clinic, is 31 miles away in a straight line. Against the 7,655 U.S. towns with household incomes like Red Lodge’s, it is healthier than 98%, so its A− isn’t only a matter of income.
28% of Red Lodge adults feel lonely. Red Lodge beats the Montana average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 15% of Red Lodge adults report frequent mental distress.
| Red Lodge | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 32% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 72% | 79% |
| What stands out | Red Lodge | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.5% | 11.7% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 5.8% | 7.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.1% | 9.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Red Lodge weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 106 days, shorter than in 99% of U.S. towns. The Red Lodge weather station records that 142 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Red Lodge has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Among 42 Montana towns, just 3 have a lower July high than Red Lodge.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among 41 Montana towns, just 3 have a lower median rent than Red Lodge. The typical Red Lodge home is worth about $520,000, up 2.3% in a year, 11% above the Montana typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 18.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 92% of Montana’s graded towns.
Of the 26 Montana towns we compare, none has a lower property crime rate than Red Lodge. Red Lodge reports less crime per resident than 51% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.
| Red Lodge | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.8 per 1,000 residents | 15.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 4.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Red Lodge; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Red Lodge residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Montana.
Where Red Lodge’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
11 places in Red Lodge on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Red Lodge.
City in Montana, United States
Red Lodge is a city and county seat of Carbon County, Montana, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,257.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Red Lodge grades B+ overall, better than 68% of U.S. towns and #4 of 41 in Montana. It grades A− for health, B− for safety and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
3 notable people were born here, including Harry Franklin Vickers and Laurie Niemi.
