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Place dossier plate
SheetMT-BOZEMAN-MT · Bozeman, MT 55,042 pop · income 61st pct · 26 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Bozeman
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Bozeman on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Anderson · lowest
47,221
Anderson · lowest
47,221 median HH income
44.3% of the leader · rank #1
Stowe · near
79,875
Stowe · near
79,875 median HH income
74.9% of the leader · rank #2
Bozeman · this city
79,903
Bozeman · this city
79,903 median HH income
74.9% of the leader · rank #3
Mark · near
79,911
Mark · near
79,911 median HH income
74.9% of the leader · rank #4
Four Lakes · near
79,913
Four Lakes · near
79,913 median HH income
75.0% of the leader · rank #5
Apalachin · near
79,919
Apalachin · near
79,919 median HH income
75.0% of the leader · rank #6
Hacienda Heig… · highest
106,620
Hacienda Heig… · highest
106,620 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Bozeman on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 55,042.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Bozeman - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Bozeman lands in the 61st percentile for household income and the 28th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
61st
percentile, household income
90th
percentile, home value
61st
percentile, median rent
28th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Bozeman, MT
55,042 people live in Bozeman, Montana - a small city by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Households in Bozeman report a median income of $79,903 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 4.9%. Home values in Bozeman run a median of $614,900, and the median resident age is 28.6 years. About 65.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 69.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 867 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Stable), up 4% from five years earlier. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 2189.4 incidents per 100,000 residents, near the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Montana run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Montana at 94.6 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Below Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,336 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Montana run around $175, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 33.3 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Bozeman's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from population change to within-city variation to housing and income to reported crime to schools and households to comparison shortlist to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Bozeman, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits, annual population history, matched public-school count.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Population change
Is Bozeman growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +4,924 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +9.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 867 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
PlainCities matches 26 Census tracts to this city.
How far does income reach against housing in Bozeman?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 7.7 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 4.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
Which cities make useful reference points for Bozeman?
Within Montana, the closest population matches are Great Falls (60,412 residents, $63,934 income); Butte-Silver Bow (34,929 residents, $57,633 income); Missoula (75,600 residents, $65,329 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Smyrna, TN (55,066 residents); Tinley Park, IL (55,007 residents); Hacienda Heights, CA (54,956 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Bozeman?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 2189.4 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, near the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 4% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
1755.3
Violent rate
434.1
Total reported rate
2189.4
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
The NCES join finds 22 public schools within the city match. 65.1% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
22
Bachelor's degree+
65.1%
Poverty estimate
4.9%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
What does the journey to work look like in Bozeman?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 62.6%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
0.9%
Work from home
15.0%
Drive alone
62.6%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 33,014 workers age 16+.
Above median income · poverty 4.9% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
94.6 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Montana average
C
City profile score · Bozeman, MT
59/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Bachelor's+ share A+
65.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate B-
4.9%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Cost of living B-
94.6 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Household income C
$79,903
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime F
434 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bozeman profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 95/100 (A+) · 65.1%
Poverty rate: 66/100 (B-) · 4.9%
Cost of living: 66/100 (B-) · 94.6 index
Household income: 59/100 (C) · $79,903
Violent crime: 20/100 (F) · 434 /100k
Where Bozeman sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Bozeman's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Bozeman highlighted among 10 peers.Read the chart values
Bozeman, MT (this city): home $614,900, crime 2,189/100k
Smyrna, TN : home $326,700, crime 2,665/100k
Tinley Park, IL : home $289,000, crime 1,354/100k
West Haven, CT : home $265,200, crime 1,343/100k
Anderson, IN : home $104,300, crime 2,676/100k
Great Falls, MT : home $237,400, crime 4,001/100k
Missoula, MT : home $427,400, crime 4,226/100k
Helena, MT : home $355,100, crime 3,096/100k
Kalispell, MT : home $381,400, crime 2,519/100k
Belgrade, MT : home $469,600, crime 1,494/100k
How does Bozeman compare to other US cities?
Here's how Bozeman stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income61% higher than other cities
Home value90% pricier than other cities
Median rent61% pricier than other cities
Safety28% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Montana alone, Bozeman ranks #28 of 39 Montana cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Bozeman against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Montana only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Montana-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Bozeman near the bottom of Montana's cities
Among the 317 Montana cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Bozeman ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Bozeman only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#65 of 282
77th percentile in Montana
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 317
0th percentile in Montana
Median Home Value
#16 of 279
94th percentile in Montana
Poverty Rate
#185 of 315
41st percentile in Montana
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#6 of 317
98th percentile in Montana
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Montana only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
61st percentile nationally for median household income · 28th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Bozeman's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Bozeman's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Bozeman's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$614,90010th percentilemore affordable than 10% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Bozeman's home-value-to-income ratio: 7.7×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,932 of 15,516
More affordable than 4% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#682 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 7.7×, Bozeman sits in the pressured band:
national rank #14,932 of 15,516 and #682 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$79,903Bozeman, MT median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Bozeman, MT median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Bozeman, MT.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)65.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)4.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)69.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
55,042
Median Income
$79,903
Median Home Value
$614,900
Median Age
28.6
Poverty Rate
4.9%
Labor force participation
69.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
65.1%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2189.4
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
434.1
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1755.3
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
22
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Bozeman's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
53,890 residents
2021
55,425 residents
2022
56,306 residents
2023
57,131 residents
2024
58,125 residents
2025
58,814 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Stable
Total Permits (2024)
867
housing units authorized
Single-Family
286
detached homes
Multifamily
581
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
15.8
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
834
254
580
$142.4M
2020
945
211
734
$142.5M
2021
1,215
311
904
$189.0M
2022
1,212
306
906
$186.3M
2023
1,024
252
772
$156.7M
2024
867
286
581
$145.0M
Permit volume increased 4% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
62.6%
Carpool
7.4%
Public Transit
0.9%
Walk
8.9%
Work from Home
15.0%
Other
5.2%
Based on 33,014 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Montana statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $175
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Montana at $175 (electricity about $80 , water and sewer about $40 ).
These are Montana statewide averages, not a meter reading for Bozeman. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Montana's BEA cost-of-living index is 94.6 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Bozeman is $1,336/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Montana statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 33.3 / 100 (Very Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Montana statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Bozeman sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Bozeman compares to similar-size Montana cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.