Montana by the numbers
In Montana, the median worker earns $47,360 a year, the typical home is worth $338,100 and carries $2,535 of property tax, and the average household pays $113 a month for electricity at 14.67¢ per kilowatt-hour.
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Energy
Montana deregulated in the late 1990s and its utility sold its generating plants. The experiment was reversed after prices rose, but the state never got its cheap hydro back on the original terms. The dams were sold and later repurchased at a much higher price, which was then placed in rate base.
Since then the utility has been buying and building replacement supply: a share of a coal plant, new gas peaking capacity, and market purchases. Each addition raises the revenue requirement, and Montana's small customer base means each addition lands hard.
The state also carries severe geographic cost. Long lines cross mountains and prairie to serve very few customers per mile, with heavy winter weather and wildfire exposure both adding maintenance and mitigation spending.
Averaged across the twelve months to May 2026, Montana households used 824 kilowatt-hours a month and paid $113. At the state median wage that is about 5 hours of work a month to keep the lights on. For heating, gas is still cheaper to run than a heat pump here, by about $5.52 per million BTU.
Work and pay
The median Montana worker earned $47,360 in 2024, 4.3% below the national median. What distinguishes a state's labour market is rarely its biggest occupations, which are retail and food service everywhere, but what it has disproportionately.
| Occupation | Concentration | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Forest and Conservation Technicians | 18.85× | $54,310 |
| Locomotive Engineers | 9.13× | $81,160 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers | 9.1× | $33,530 |
| Directors, Religious Activities and Education | 7.32× | $38,790 |
| Fence Erectors | 7.01× | $49,710 |
Property tax
The median Montana homeowner pays $2,535 a year on a home worth $338,100, an effective rate of 0.75% against a national 0.98%. Nobody sets that rate. It is what falls out of county, city, school district and special district levies applied to an assessed value, so the state figure is a weighted average of 36 counties rather than a posted number.
Cost of living
Prices in Montana run at 94.6 where the national average is 100, ranking it #30 of 51. Goods sit at 96.0, which is close to national almost everywhere because most goods are shipped and priced nationally. Rents sit at 84.6, and that is where states actually separate from one another. A median wage of $47,360 therefore buys what $50,063 buys nationally.
Metro areas priced separately: Bozeman (102.5) , Great Falls (96.8) , Missoula (96.4) , Helena (95.7) , Billings (93.5) .
Housing
House prices in Montana rose 2.6% over the year to 2026 Q2, against a median across all states of +2.7%. Over ten years the index is +118.6%. Prices are at or near their record level.
Who supplies the power
10 utilities report residential service in Montana, together serving 478,892 customers. Retail choice limited.
Montana: common questions
What does it cost to live in Montana?
Prices overall run at 94.6 against a national average of 100, with rents at 84.6. The typical home is worth $338,100 and carries $2,535 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.75% against a national 0.98%. Electricity averages $113 a month at 14.67¢ per kilowatt-hour. Against that, the median wage is $47,360.
What is the property tax rate in Montana?
The effective rate is 0.75% of home value, from a median bill of $2,535. It is set locally rather than by the state, so the figure is a weighted outcome across 36 counties. County by county rates.
Does a salary go further in Montana?
The median wage of $47,360 buys what $50,063 buys nationally, once local prices are taken out. A state paying above the national median while charging above it for housing can leave a household no better off, and this is the arithmetic that shows which side of that line Montana falls on.
Is Montana expensive for electricity?
It ranks #39 of 51 jurisdictions on price at 14.67¢ per kilowatt-hour, -20.4% against the U.S. average. On the actual bill it ranks 47 of 51, because households there use 824 kWh a month against a national 871.
What is the median salary in Montana?
$47,360 across all occupations, about $22.77 an hour, covering 510,020 wage and salary workers as of 2024.
Who supplies electricity in Montana?
10 utilities report residential service, the largest being NorthWestern Energy LLC with 328,125 customers. Retail choice limited.
Electricity May 2026, gas 2024, utilities 2024, wages 2024. All figures from federal statistical agencies. Methodology · Sources