Montana: The Best and Worst Cities for Crime

Lewiston, Plains and Colstrip have the lowest rates of property crime in Big Sky Country.
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Derek Prall
July 24, 2024 Derek Prall Derek Prall , Home Security Expert | July 24, 2024
Statewide Crime Trends in Montana Property Crime in Montana Violent Crime in Montana

As one of the most sparsely populated states, Montana has lower crime rates than many other U.S. states. In particular, tiny towns such as Plains and Colstrip are among the areas with the lowest crime rates in the state.

Plains, located in western Montana, has beautiful mountain views. It is in a remote area, which may contribute to its small population and low crime rates. Over 500 miles to the east lies Colstrip, another small Montana village with low property and violent crime rates. As its name suggests, Colstrip was founded to provide coal to the local railroad.

Montana City Map

While the state can seem entirely bucolic and peaceful, some towns have high crime rates. Polson, a community of just over 5,000 people, sits on the southern shore of Flathead Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake in the western U.S., and is entirely within the Flathead Indian Reservation. Polson also has the highest rates of both property crime and violent crime in the state.

Small communities like Polson often have statistically high crime rates due to their small permanent populations, but many of Montana’s larger communities also tend to have higher-than-average crime rates. Billings and Great Falls, for example — which rank first and third by population — are among the state’s crime leaders.

Property Crime in Montana

When determining property crime rates in Montana, we looked at larceny/theft, burglary and motor vehicle theft incidents.

  • Montana’s total property crime rate is 1,919 incidents per 100,000 people, which is slightly under the overall U.S. rate of 1,954 incidents per 100,000 people.
  • Montana ranks 21st in the nation for property crime.
  • Larceny continues to be the most common property crime in Montana (as it is everywhere else in the country), with about 1,496 incidents per 100,000 people.

Montana Property Crime Rates

Violent Crime in Montana

Violent crimes include murder/nonnegligent homicide, aggravated assault, rape and robbery. Montana’s rate in this area is higher than the national rate, but it’s still not among the highest in the country or the Western region.

  • The total violent crime rate in Montana is 418 incidents per 100,000 people, which is about 10 percent higher than the overall U.S. rate of 381 incidents per 100,000 people.
  • Montana ranks 16th for violent crime.
  • Aggravated assault is the most common type of violent crime in Montana and elsewhere.

Montana Violent Crime Rates

Our data

Our data comes from comprehensive reporting compiled by the FBI and accessed via the Crime Data Explorer website. Property and violent crime state figures were drawn from Table 5 of the 2022 Crime in the U.S. Report. Metropolitan figures were found in Table 6, Crime in the U.S. by Metropolitan Statistical Area. City-level figures were drawn from Table 8, Offenses Known to Law Enforcement by State by City. The population figures in that table are U.S. Census Bureau provisional estimates as of July 1, 2020.

Limitations: According to the FBI, the data in the publication tables may differ from those released on the Explorer Pages of the CDE. These variations are due to the difference in methodologies between the publication tables and data displayed on the CDE. Please note that crime statistics are not the sole measure of a city’s safety.

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