Below: Two of its 3 schools, each with why it was picked. Public schools: the Richey Elementary District. The 3 public schools in Richey teach 78 students between them.

School	Level	Students	Letter
Richey SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6	Grades PK–6	47	A
Richey High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12	Grades 9–12	22	–

Full pageRichey’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsRichey Elem Every school3 schools · Richey School Questions“Are Richey’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts

Climate

Richey has four seasons and pleasant summers

July afternoons reach 85° and January nights drop to 4°.

85°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter7–28°

Spring29–56°

Summer52–82°

Fall31–57°

Sep 22

typical first frost

May 16

typical last frost

+1.4°

vs. the 20th-century average

85°

typical summer high

Full pageRichey’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 85°, January lows 4°Rain & snow15″ of rain a year · Rain a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.4° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Work & commute

Richey stands out in Montana and nationally: a smaller share of its working residents work locally

Among 43 Montana towns, just 2 have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Richey. Since 2013, Richey has lost 34 jobs, to 51 in 2023. Its average commute comes in at 26 minutes. The top destinations are Glendive (30%), Billings (5%) and Sidney (4%).

2%work in town

	Richey	Montana towns	U.S. towns
Working residents who work in town	1.8%	39%	8%
Average trip to work	26 minutes	17 minutes	25 minutes
Below the poverty line	4.2%	10%	9.6%
Median household income	$74,000	$67,000	$80,000

Where working residents work

In Richey2%

Glendive30%

Billings5%

Sidney4%

Williston4%

41 mi

median commute distance

jobs based in Richey

Balanced

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageRichey’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here51 jobs based here · Balanced Where people work2% work in Richey Commute times26 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 41 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Health

How healthy Richey is

30% of adults feel lonely in Richey. Of 32 CDC measures, Richey beats the Montana average on 5 and trails it on 1. Among 42 Montana towns, just 4 have a lower share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Richey. In Richey, just over one in ten adults smoke cigarettes, and 72% had a checkup this year.

	Richey	Montana towns	U.S. towns
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)	15%	18%	17%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)	11%	14%	14%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)	72%	72%	79%
Depression (CDC PLACES)	22%	25%	23%

32 measures vs. Montana

5 better26 too close to call1 worse

What stands out	Richey	MT
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth	6.9%	12.3%
Fewer adults facing food insecurity	7.8%	11.7%
More adults who have had cancer	11.1%	9.3%

Mccone County Health Center

28.5 mi away · emergency room

1 of 3

care shortages: mental health

Full pageRichey’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsFewer smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby28.5 miles to an ER · Mccone County Health Center How adults are doingFewer adults in fair or poor health Every CDC estimateBetter than MT on 5 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Natural hazards

The biggest natural risk in Richey is cold waves, at a moderate overall level

Compared with three fifths of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Richey is lower. FEMA puts 58% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to cold waves, and 27% to inland flooding.

40risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Cold wavesInland flooding

Full pageRichey’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesModerate risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters7 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get ready14 events a year, on average · Ready for cold waves

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Outdoors

Protected land: 4.8% of Richey

4.8%conserved

4.8%

conserved · 8 of 165 acres

0.0 mi

of trails · 0 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Richey Community Park	—	5

Full pageRichey’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map0.0 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk5 acres · Richey Community Park Conserved land4.8% conserved · 8 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Richey?”

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Richey

17pages on Richey

The big questions

Schools3 schools HealthBetter than MT on 5 of 32 CDC measures Cost of living$158K typical home · up 11.3% in a year Work & commute$74K median household income · 51 jobs here Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 40% of U.S. communities · cold waves

Out and about

Outdoors0 mi of trails · 5% conserved land PlacesLibraryRichey Public Library Colleges

The story

HistorySettled 1912 Town Hall & politicsOne full-time town employee per 160 residents Climate85° summer highs

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 59259 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Richey; the nearest are

Fort Peck Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Poplar33 mi$2,250 in-state tuition Dickinson State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Dickinson, ND118.7 mi$9,118 in-state tuition

About 4 of every 100 Richey residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Montana.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

About Richey

Town in Montana, United States

Richey is a town in Dawson County, Montana, United States. It is located to the north of Glendive, the county seat. The population was 164 at the 2020 census. The town has a strong agriculture economy with wheat, oats and barley as the main crops as well as significant cattle and sheep ranches. Clyde Richey opened a post office in 1911.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area: 0.3 sq mi
Elevation: 2,503 ft
ZIP code: 59259
Area code: 406

Questions about Richey

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Richey, MT a good place to live?

Richey has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

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RicheyMT

Is Richey a good place to live?

160 people, and everyone knows the way

Moving to Richey: who provides what

The data

Homes in Richey are worth about $158K, by Zillow’s estimate

Typical home value

The schools Richey’s kids attend