List of municipalities in Montana

Map of the United States with Montana highlighted
Map of the United States with Montana highlighted

Montana is a state located in the Western United States. According to the 2020 United States Census, Montana is the 8th least populous state with 1,084,225 inhabitants but the 4th largest by land area spanning 145,545.80 square miles (376,961.9 km2) of land.[1] Montana is divided into 56 counties and contains 129 municipalities consisting of cities and towns.[1] Montana's municipalities cover only 1.2% of the state's land mass but are home to 53.8% of its population.[2] The Montana Code 7-1-4124 gives municipal governments in Montana powers to enact ordinances, borrow money, and enact eminent domain among other legal powers.[3]

In Montana, municipalities are divided into four classes by state statute based on their population.[4] Members of the three largest classes are deemed cities, while the members of the fourth class are called towns. Cities and towns are classified at the time of their organization, and are reorganized when they change classification due to an increase or decrease in population. A place may incorporate as a town with the support of 300 electors or two-thirds of the registered electors.[5] A municipality with a population between 1,000 and 5,000 people is a Third Class city. A municipality with a population between 5,000 and 10,000 people is a Second Class city. And a municipality with a population over 10,000 people is a First Class city. Under certain exceptions municipalities with a population of between 9,000 and 10,000 may elect by resolution to be either a First or Second Class city. Under similar exceptions municipalities with a population of between 5,000 and 7,500 may elect by resolution to be either a Second or Third Class city. Municipalities with a population of between 1,000 and 2,500 may by resolution be classified as either a town or Third Class city.[6] Unincorporated places such as census-designated places fall outside this scheme, and are subject to county governance, and thus are not towns or cities.

The largest municipality by population in Montana is Billings with 117,116 residents, and the smallest municipality by population is Ismay with 17 residents.[7] The largest municipality by land area is Anaconda, a consolidated city-county, which spans 736.53 sq mi (1,907.6 km2), while Rexford and Flaxville are the smallest at 0.10 sq mi (0.26 km2).[2]

  1. ^ a b "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "GCT-PH1 – Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 – State — Place and (in selected states) County Subdivision". 2010 United States Census. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  3. ^ Montana Legislature. "Classification of municipalities, Montana Code Annotated, (M.C.A.) 7-1-4124". Legislative Services Division. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  4. ^ Montana Legislature. "Classification of municipalities, Montana Code Annotated, (M.C.A.) 7-1-4111". Legislative Services Division. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  5. ^ Montana Legislature. "Classification of municipalities, Montana Code Annotated, (M.C.A.) 7-2-4101". Legislative Services Division. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  6. ^ Montana Legislature. "Exceptions from classification system, M.C.A. 7-1-4112". Legislative Services Division. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  7. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 2, 2021.