Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety49#7,946/15,637
Economy36#9,980/15,631
Housing98#238/14,977
Health30#10,849/15,609
Healthcare21#12,422/15,650
Environment67#5,174/15,453
Education46#8,509/15,649
Infrastructure46#8,436/15,650
Community57#6,683/15,651
Leisure & amenities85#2,403/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Colstrip, Montana ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Rosebud County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Median Air Quality Index · low4
100/100Montana 332024U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyRosebud County value
Property crime rate · low164 /100k
99/100Montana 1,449 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationRosebud County value
Average commute time · low10.7 min
99/100Montana 19.1 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Rent-burdened households · low0.0%
99/100Montana 44.8%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
High school diploma or higher · high95.4%
99/100Montana 94.6%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Rent as share of income · low15.0%
98/100Montana 27.8%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071

Weaknesses

Premature death · high22,747 /100k
1/100Montana 8,503 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRosebud County value
Life expectancy · low67.4 yrs
1/100Montana 77.3 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRosebud County value
Injury deaths · high221 /100k
1/100Montana 105 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRosebud County value
Comfortable days · low21.1%
1/100Montana 22.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationRosebud County value
Traffic deaths · high56.3 /100k
1/100Montana 19.4 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataRosebud County value
Job growth · low-5.6%
1/100Montana 0.6%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataRosebud County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
2,448 (2015-2019) → 2,101 (2020-2024)
−14%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
73.8% (2015-2019) → 90.5% (2020-2024)
+17 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.4× (2015-2019) → 2.4× (2020-2024)
+72%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Child poverty rateWorsening
6.8% (2015-2019) → 16.1% (2020-2024)
+9.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.302 (2015-2019) → 0.437 (2020-2024)
+45%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
19.0% (2015-2019) → 25.9% (2020-2024)
+6.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Colstrip, Montana improved on 1 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Broadband+17 points73.8% → 90.5%

Declined1

Inequality+0.1350.302 → 0.437

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Colstrip, Montana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	11.4 min2015-2019	10.7 min2020-2024	−0.7 min	Within the margin of error	56%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.0%2015-2019	25.9%2020-2024	+6.9 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Broadband subscriptions	73.8%2015-2019	90.5%2020-2024	+17 points	Improved	84%
Effective property tax rate	0.58%2015-2019	0.49%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	32%
High school diploma or higher	95.9%2015-2019	95.4%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Home price to income ratio	1.4×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	+1.0×	Within the margin of error	23%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3022015-2019	0.4372020-2024	+0.135	Declined	2%
Median household income	$86,7972015-2019	$82,5002020-2024	−5%	Within the margin of error	5%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	10.8%2015-2019	15.0%2020-2024	+4.2 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Rent-burdened households	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	56%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Colstrip, Montana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Colstrip, Montana in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Colstrip, Montana itself moved −7.5 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,101 residents (±286)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 70–79 men (+4.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,101 residents (±286)

Colstrip, Montana
Montana share

White68%1,423
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino7.2%†152

Education

1,425 residents (±153)

Colstrip, Montana
Montana share

No high school diploma4.6%†66
High school or GED30%422
Some college23%†324

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

802 households (±113)

Colstrip, Montana
Montana share

Under $25k14%†113
$25k–50k22%†180
$50k–75k10%†83
$75k–100k6.4%†51
$100k–150k15%†124
$150k–200k17%†138
$200k or more14%†113

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $75k–100k (−21.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

802 households (±113)

Colstrip, Montana
Montana share

Own83%664
Rent17%†138

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

133 households (±77)

Colstrip, Montana
Montana share

Under $75086%†114
$750–1,0009.0%†12
$1,000–1,5005.3%†7

Home values

664 homes (±122)

Colstrip, Montana
Montana share

Under $150k39%†256
$150k–250k30%†196
$250k–400k15%†101

Age of homes

940 homes (±115)

Colstrip, Montana
Montana share

2010 or later0.0%0
2000–200913%†118
1980–199948%452

Size of homes

940 homes (±115)

Colstrip, Montana
Montana share

Studio2.9%†27
1 bedroom8.7%†82
2 bedrooms23%†220

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

953 workers (±202)

Colstrip, Montana
Montana share

Drive alone89%849
Carpool5.4%†51
Public transit0.0%0
Walk1.6%†15
Bike1.4%†13
Work from home2.6%†25
Other0.0%0

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

928 workers (±195)

Colstrip, Montana
Montana share

Under 15 min79%734
15–29 min14%†129
30–44 min1.4%†13

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Rosebud County, the county holding most of Colstrip's residents.

Rosebud County has 178 employer establishments, 219 for every 10,000 residents (0.88× the US rate of 248; 0.58× Montana's), with 2,214 paid employees at an average annual pay of $62,432. The Census Bureau also counts 515 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 178; 515 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 219; US 248 · Montana 376
Paid employees: 2,214
Average annual pay: $62,432; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Rosebud County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	12	14.8	0.81×About typical	55	$18,709	4
Religious organizations	9	11.1	2.00×Too few to compare	20	$14,350	—
Ambulatory health care services	8	9.9	0.47×Too few to compare	83	$48,952	18
Services to buildings and dwellings	8	9.9	1.46×Too few to compare	35	$17,314	30
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	7	8.6	3.25×Too few to compare	62	$26,758	7
Specialty trade contractors	7	8.6	0.56×Too few to compare	102	$84,245	43
Traveler accommodation	7	8.6	4.78×Too few to compare	44	$15,409	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	6	7.4	1.47×Too few to compare	17	$26,118	14
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	6	7.4	6.10×Too few to compare	43	$15,093	—
Full-service restaurants	6	7.4	0.96×Too few to compare	6	$45,333	—
Banks and credit unions	5	6.2	1.91×Too few to compare	36	$50,194	—
Lessors of real estate	5	6.2	0.50×Too few to compare	10	$15,000	31

Rank places for an industry Open Rosebud County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 8,112 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Colstrip, Montana: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

228.7FY2021
7.4KFY2025

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Colstrip, Montana, so they do not add up across cities.

Colstrip, Montana's figures are part of those of Rosebud County, MT ($5.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Colstrip is mostly in Rosebud County.

See federal money in Rosebud County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Colstrip, Montana is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Troy DowningR-MT-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 0.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Rosebud County41100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Rosebud County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3016525