County · Montana
Liberty County, Montana
Liberty County, Montana has a quality-of-life score of 65 out of 100 (high), ranking #1,092 of 3,143 US counties. Within Montana it ranks #28 of 56 counties. It ranks best on distance to an emergency room (low), gyms and fitness centers (high) and preventable hospital stays (low). It ranks worst on mental health care shortage (high), suicide rate (high) and severe housing problems (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #1,092 of 3,143 counties
- Montana
- #28 of 56 in MT
- Population
- 1,957 (2025)
- Land area
- 1,430 mi²
- Density
- 1.4 /mi²
- FIPS code
- 30051
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.
- Safety48#1,611/3,096
- Economy45#1,718/3,143
- Housing41#1,854/3,140
- Health48#1,635/3,144
- Healthcare64#1,126/3,143
- Environment87#402/3,108
- Education87#399/3,144
- Infrastructure19#2,541/3,144
- Community72#892/3,144
- Leisure & amenities99#29/3,143
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Liberty County, Montana ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Distance to an emergency room · low1.4 mi
- Gyms and fitness centers · high5.1 /10k
- Preventable hospital stays · low697 /100k99/100Montana 1,824 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- Life expectancy · high83.9 yrs99/100Montana 77.3 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- Reading scores · high3.55
- Students per teacher · low8.3×
Weaknesses
- Mental health care shortage · high21.0
- Suicide rate · high0.0 /100k2/100Montana 30.3 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data
- Severe housing problems · high27.5%
- Firearm deaths · high29.0 /100k5/100Montana 23.6 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional data
- Average weekly wage · low$826
- Child care cost burden · high39.4%
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- Violent crime rateWorsening
166 /100k (2017) → 313 /100k (2025)
+89%8 yearsUS 387 /100k → 328 /100k
- Voter turnoutImproving
57.7% (2020) → 72.8% (2024)
+15 pts4 yearsUS 68.5% → 65.2%
- High school diploma or higherImproving
70.2% (2015-2019) → 83.8% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
- Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
15.2% (2015-2019) → 27.8% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
- Average commute timeWorsening
10.2 min (2015-2019) → 16.5 min (2020-2024)
+61%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
- Mammography screeningImproving
40.0% (2019) → 52.0% (2023)
+12 pts4 yearsUS 43.0% → 46.0%
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.
Counties like Liberty County, Montana five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Liberty County, 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.
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).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
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.
Federal contract spending
Federal grants & assistance
Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.
Public money & outcomes
Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.
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.
Cities and towns in Liberty County
Places whose residents live mostly in Liberty County, largest first.
Neighboring counties
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar counties
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Chouteau County, MT63Alike on Mental health shortage, Reading, Precipitation
- Fergus County, MT82Alike on Dentists, Homeownership, Restaurants
- Toole County, MT64Alike on Mental health shortage, Arts & recreation, Avg temperature
- Sheridan County, MT76Alike on Frost days, Students / teacher, PM2.5
- Teton County, MT81Alike on Mental health shortage, Arts & recreation, Firearm deaths
Data and sources
Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.
- Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
- PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
- Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
- Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
- Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
- Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
- National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency · release v1.20.0
- Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-09
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-10-06
- Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
- nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
- Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
- Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
- American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
- Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
- Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
- 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
- Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
- Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
- Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08