City · Fergus County, Montana

Lewistown, Montana

Lewistown is a city in Fergus County, Montana. It has 6,087 residents. Lewistown, Montana has a quality-of-life score of 70 out of 100 (high), ranking #4,711 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Montana it ranks #46 of 94 cities and towns. It ranks best on firearm deaths (low), average commute time (low) and grocery stores (high). It ranks worst on public EV charging ports (low), comfortable days (low) and injury deaths (high).

70High

Quality-of-life score: #4,711 of 15,651 cities and towns
Montana: #46 of 94 in MT
Population: 6,087 (2020-2024)
Land area: 6 mi²
Density: 1,063.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 3043375

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

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

Safety58#6,560/15,637
Economy20#12,478/15,631
Housing66#5,149/14,977
Health63#5,809/15,609
Healthcare51#7,720/15,650
Environment89#1,727/15,453
Education81#2,977/15,649
Infrastructure16#13,076/15,650
Community85#2,347/15,651
Leisure & amenities94#963/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Lewistown, Montana ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Fergus 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

Firearm deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Montana 23.6 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataFergus County value
Average commute time · low12.7 min
99/100Montana 19.1 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Grocery stores · high4.2 /10k
99/100Montana 2.1 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFergus County value
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Montana 14.5 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataFergus County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.5 µg/m³
98/100Montana 6.6 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyFergus County value
High school diploma or higher · high94.1%
98/100Montana 94.6%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Montana 4.2 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyFergus County value
Comfortable days · low22.7%
6/100Montana 22.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationFergus County value
Injury deaths · high133 /100k
8/100Montana 105 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFergus County value
Broadband subscriptions · low82.6%
9/100Montana 89.4%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Pharmacies · low0.9 /10k
9/100Montana 1.3 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFergus County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high102 mi
9/100Montana 117 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauFergus County value

Trends

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

Child poverty rateWorsening
30.8% (2015-2019) → 41.2% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
New homes permittedWorsening
0.7 /1k (2021) → 0.3 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−51%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
27.1% (2015-2019) → 17.7% (2020-2024)
−9.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.8× (2015-2019) → 4.1× (2020-2024)
+47%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Average commute timeWorsening
9.9 min (2015-2019) → 12.7 min (2020-2024)
+29%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
77.2% (2015-2019) → 82.6% (2020-2024)
+5.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

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, Lewistown, Montana improved on 1 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 10 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

Household income+26%$38,575 → $48,750

Declined2

Bachelor's+−9.5 points27.1% → 17.7%
Price / income+1.3×2.8× → 4.1×

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Lewistown, Montana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	9.9 min2015-2019	12.7 min2020-2024	+2.9 min	Within the margin of error	21%
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.1%2015-2019	17.7%2020-2024	−9.5 points	Declined	2%
Broadband subscriptions	77.2%2015-2019	82.6%2020-2024	+5.4 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Child poverty rate	30.8%2015-2019	41.2%2020-2024	+10 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Effective property tax rate	1.15%2015-2019	0.98%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	52%
High school diploma or higher	90.9%2015-2019	94.1%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	4.1×2020-2024	+1.3×	Declined	13%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4252015-2019	0.4062020-2024	−0.019	Within the margin of error	67%
Median household income	$38,5752015-2019	$48,7502020-2024	+26%	Improved	47%
Poverty rate	19.4%2015-2019	20.9%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Rent as share of income	31.4%2015-2019	26.1%2020-2024	−5.3 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Rent-burdened households	50.2%2015-2019	46.7%2020-2024	−3.6 points	Within the margin of error	68%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	13.4%2015-2019	17.1%2020-2024	+3.7 points	Within the margin of error	15%

“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 Lewistown, Montana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Lewistown, 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, Lewistown, Montana itself moved +0.4 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

6,087 residents (±41)

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 (+2.6 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

6,087 residents (±41)

Lewistown, Montana
Montana share

White90%5,477
Black1.0%†63
Hispanic or Latino3.9%236

Education

4,483 residents (±147)

Lewistown, Montana
Montana share

No high school diploma5.9%†263
High school or GED42%1,865
Some college25%1,104

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

2,880 households (±152)

Lewistown, Montana
Montana share

Under $25k19%550
$25k–50k33%938
$50k–75k22%620
$75k–100k15%426
$100k–150k6.8%†195
$150k–200k2.0%†57
$200k or more3.3%†94

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $75k–100k (+7.9 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

2,880 households (±152)

Lewistown, Montana
Montana share

Own56%1,617
Rent44%1,263

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−11.1 points).

Table view

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

Rent paid

1,245 households (±229)

Lewistown, Montana
Montana share

Under $75027%†342
$750–1,00022%†271
$1,000–1,50035%†435

Home values

1,617 homes (±223)

Lewistown, Montana
Montana share

Under $150k30%†490
$150k–250k35%561
$250k–400k26%†427

Age of homes

3,101 homes (±151)

Lewistown, Montana
Montana share

2010 or later4.2%†130
2000–20094.7%†145
1980–199910%†322

Size of homes

3,101 homes (±151)

Lewistown, Montana
Montana share

Studio3.1%†95
1 bedroom18%562
2 bedrooms31%958

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

2,828 workers (±202)

Lewistown, Montana
Montana share

Drive alone73%2,072
Carpool3.8%†108
Public transit0.0%0
Walk14%†389
Bike0.0%0
Work from home7.2%†205
Other1.9%†54

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

2,623 workers (±211)

Lewistown, Montana
Montana share

Under 15 min79%2,066
15–29 min10%†270
30–44 min6.9%†182

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 Fergus County, the county holding most of Lewistown's residents.

Fergus County has 444 employer establishments, 376 for every 10,000 residents (1.51× the US rate of 248; 1.00× Montana's), with 3,428 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,451. The Census Bureau also counts 1,137 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 444; 1,137 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 376; US 248 · Montana 376
Paid employees: 3,428
Average annual pay: $47,451; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	42	35.6	2.30×More than typical	172	$59,762	133
Restaurants and other eating places	25	21.2	1.15×About typical	336	$17,631	4
Ambulatory health care services	22	18.6	0.89×About typical	159	$64,818	36
Lessors of real estate	21	17.8	1.44×More than typical	43	$27,674	162
Construction of buildings	19	16.1	2.13×More than typical	59	$27,661	80
Automotive repair and maintenance	13	11	2.19×More than typical	35	$28,943	30
Full-service restaurants	13	11	1.43×More than typical	188	$18,484	—
Other specialty trade contractors	13	11	4.38×More than typical	46	$82,087	72
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	12	10.2	2.50×More than typical	32	$39,125	12
Building equipment contractors	12	10.2	1.69×More than typical	92	$55,065	17
Offices of other health practitioners	11	9.3	1.53×More than typical	43	$41,558	20
Religious organizations	11	9.3	1.68×More than typical	36	$14,417	—

Rank places for an industry Open Fergus County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 11,813 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Fergus 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.

Lewistown, 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.

Fergus County82100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Fergus 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

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