Montana’s population growth held relatively steady in 2025, according to newly released U.S. Census Bureau estimates. But many of the state’s largest cities accounted for a smaller share of that growth than they did a year earlier.
The latest estimates reinforce a trend that has emerged over the past few years: Montana is still growing, but the breakneck pace that reshaped many communities during the COVID-19 pandemic era has largely eased.
The Census Bureau May estimates show that Montana added 7,137 residents between July 2024 and July 2025, slightly more than the 6,945 people added the previous year. The latest figures are down from the state’s recent peak of 19,260 new residents between 2020 and 2021. Incorporated cities and towns, however, accounted for less than 3,800 of those new residents, down from 4,300 in 2024.
Kalispell remained one of Montana’s fastest-growing communities, though its pace slowed considerably and it lost its title as the state’s largest annual population gainer after holding it since 2021. The city added an estimated 626 residents between 2024 and 2025, roughly half of the 1,125 people added a year prior.
Even so, Kalispell’s longer-term growth remains unmatched among Montana’s largest communities. Since 2020, the city has added nearly 6,600 residents and grown by 26%, the highest numeric and percentage increase among the state’s major cities.
Bozeman, meanwhile, continued growing at a relatively steady pace. The city added 689 residents in 2025, a small decline from the 788 residents it gained the previous year. Its annual growth rate of 1.2% remains consistent but is well below levels seen earlier in the decade when it ranked among the fastest-growing small cities in the country.
Nearby Belgrade followed a similar trajectory, adding 312 residents in 2025 after gaining 284 a year earlier. While growth has cooled from the pandemic-era boom, the city has still expanded by nearly 23% since 2020.
Missoula and Helena also posted modest gains. Missoula added 718 residents, the largest increase in the state, up from 557 the year before. Helena added 452, compared with 360 in 2024.
As many cities trended slightly upward, Billings was a notable exception. The state’s largest city lost an estimated 206 residents between 2024 and 2025, making it the only one of Montana’s eight largest communities to shrink. The decline was modest relative to Billings’ size — with more than 120,000 residents making it the state’s largest city — but marked a sharp reversal from the 686 residents added the previous year.
Great Falls and Butte-Silver Bow both saw modest population growth after a previous year of decline. Great Falls added 118 in 2025 after losing 230 residents in 2024, while Butte-Silver Bow gained 27 residents last year following a loss of 58.
These population figures are interim estimates produced by the Census Bureau to fill in the gaps between the full count of the U.S. population it conducts each decade. The population counts for each year represent the population estimated as of July 1, meaning the 2025 change estimates represent change between July 1, 2024 and July 1, 2025.
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