MT · 1 city
Dangerous neighborhoods in Montana
Montana recorded 423 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2025, 1.3 times the national rate and down 3% since 2022. Our Billings guide breaks down the specific blocks, transit points and hours where a little more attention pays off, and below you'll see how Billings compares with the state's other cities.
FBI data · 2025
Most dangerous cities in Montana, ranked
Montana's 7 cities of 10,000+ residents with recent FBI data, ordered by their official violent crime rate: murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults per 100,000 residents. 5 of 7 run above the state average of 423. A high citywide rate doesn't make a whole city unsafe: crime clusters in a few areas, and our Billings guide above shows where.
- 1
Billings
765 violent crimes per 100k
1.8× the state average
- 2
Great Falls
631 violent crimes per 100k
1.5× the state average
- 3
Missoula
591 violent crimes per 100k
1.4× the state average
| # | City | Violent per 100k | Property per 100k | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Billings | 765 | 2,515 | 122,571 |
| 2 | Great Falls | 631 | 3,669 | 59,904 |
| 3 | Missoula | 591 | 2,863 | 79,184 |
| 4 | Helena | 582 | 2,909 | 35,377 |
| 5 | Butte | 464 | 2,081 | 36,189 |
| 6 | Kalispell | 409 | 1,744 | 33,020 |
| 7 | Bozeman | 404 | 1,625 | 58,949 |
| Montana average | 423 | 1,468 | ||
| US average | 330 |
Safest cities in Montana
At the other end of the list, these have the lowest violent crime rates of the 7 cities in this ranking.
- Bozeman404 per 100k · near the state average
- Kalispell409 per 100k · near the state average
- Butte464 per 100k · near the state average
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported by each city's police department per 100,000 residents; most cities use 2025 data, and a small year next to a name marks a different latest complete year. It includes every city of 10,000+ residents with complete recent data, and years with incomplete reporting are left out. How we rank cities.
Montana crime: frequently asked questions
What is the most dangerous city in Montana?
Of the 7 Montana cities in our ranking, Billings has the highest violent crime rate: 765 offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 1.8 times the state average. Great Falls and Missoula come next. Even in Billings, crime is concentrated in a few areas, and our Billings guide shows which ones.
What is the safest city in Montana?
Among the cities we rank, Bozeman has the lowest violent crime rate, at 404 per 100,000 residents in 2025, close to the state average. Kalispell follows with 409.
Is Montana safe to visit?
Most visits go without trouble, but Montana has more violent crime than the US as a whole. Montana recorded 423 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2025, 1.3 times the national rate of 330. Crime is concentrated in specific neighborhoods and hours rather than spread evenly, so knowing where those areas are matters more than the statewide figure; our Billings guide covers them block by block.
Which Montana cities have above-average crime?
5 of the 7 cities we rank have a violent crime rate above the Montana average of 423 per 100,000 residents: Billings, Great Falls, Missoula, Helena and Butte. The other 2 are below it.
Is crime going up or down in Montana?
Violent crime in Montana went from 434 offenses per 100,000 residents in 2022 to 423 in 2025, down 3%. Property crime went from 1,984 to 1,468 over 2022–2025, down 26%.
Where do these crime figures come from?
From the FBI Crime Data Explorer, which collects the offenses reported by each police department. Rates are offenses per 100,000 residents, so cities of different sizes can be compared, and years with incomplete reporting are left out. Our methodology explains the details.