Counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Montana
The combination of inflation and increased work-from-home opportunities brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted migration patterns across the United States, the effects of which are still being felt in 2024, according to the latest Census Bureau data.
In the first year of the pandemic, migration out of densely populated, expensive cities like New York and San Francisco was especially notable. Many moved to Sun Belt states where the weather is warmer and the cost of living significantly lower.
But by the second year of the pandemic, it became clear that not everyone who was moving wanted to go far. A 2022 analysis of movement out of crowded cities from Stateline showed that many people leaving city centers moved to nearby suburbs in the same state. In Texas, for example, moves out of Houston rose 62% in the first month of the pandemic; meanwhile, the western suburb of Katy saw more new residents move in than any other part of the country.
According to the latest data from the Census Bureau, released in September 2023, 53.5% of people who moved in 2022 did so within the same county and an additional 24.3% remained in state, meaning more than three-quarters of movers stuck close to home.
Many young people in particular are remaining in the state, town, or even house that they grew up in. Before the pandemic, the number of younger adults living with their parents was on the rise and those patterns have continued. A late 2023 survey released by Lending Tree found that 57% of millennials and Gen Zers live in their hometowns.
Many people choose not to leave the state they were raised in for reasons ranging from wanting to be close to family, to not having the resources to leave, to sticking with a lower cost of living.
In order to determine where people stay put in your home state, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Montana using data from the Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest percentage of residents who were born in the state according to the latest data, which is 2022 five-year estimates. The percentage of residents who were born in another state, a U.S. territory, and another country is also included.
Read on to find out where the most loyal Montana residents live.
#50. Mineral County
- Population: 4,652
- Born in Montana: 1,851 (39.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,698 (58.0% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 33 (0.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 70 (1.5% of population)
#49. Lincoln County
- Population: 20,157
- Born in Montana: 8,618 (42.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 10,691 (53.0% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 119 (0.6% of population)
- Born in another country: 729 (3.6% of population)
#48. Wibaux County
- Population: 1,119
- Born in Montana: 482 (43.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 593 (53.0% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 44 (3.9% of population)
#47. Flathead County
- Population: 105,950
- Born in Montana: 49,582 (46.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 52,388 (49.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 947 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 3,033 (2.9% of population)
#46. Powder River County
- Population: 1,773
- Born in Montana: 840 (47.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 888 (50.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 15 (0.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 30 (1.7% of population)
#45. Carbon County
- Population: 10,645
- Born in Montana: 5,098 (47.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 5,341 (50.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 77 (0.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 129 (1.2% of population)
#44. Broadwater County
- Population: 6,977
- Born in Montana: 3,356 (48.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 3,518 (50.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 103 (1.5% of population)
#43. Missoula County
- Population: 118,541
- Born in Montana: 57,087 (48.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 56,284 (47.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,241 (1.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 3,929 (3.3% of population)
#42. Musselshell County
- Population: 4,924
- Born in Montana: 2,397 (48.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,424 (49.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 11 (0.2% of population)
- Born in another country: 92 (1.9% of population)
#41. Beaverhead County
- Population: 9,469
- Born in Montana: 4,751 (50.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 4,528 (47.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 80 (0.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 110 (1.2% of population)
#40. Jefferson County
- Population: 12,273
- Born in Montana: 6,193 (50.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 5,743 (46.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 69 (0.6% of population)
- Born in another country: 268 (2.2% of population)
#39. Stillwater County
- Population: 8,978
- Born in Montana: 4,543 (50.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 4,300 (47.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 23 (0.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 112 (1.2% of population)
#38. Meagher County
- Population: 1,948
- Born in Montana: 998 (51.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 866 (44.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 25 (1.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 59 (3.0% of population)
#37. Granite County
- Population: 3,368
- Born in Montana: 1,747 (51.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 1,507 (44.7% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 30 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 84 (2.5% of population)
#36. Lewis and Clark County
- Population: 71,487
- Born in Montana: 37,883 (53.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 31,794 (44.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 483 (0.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,327 (1.9% of population)
#35. Powell County
- Population: 6,998
- Born in Montana: 3,759 (53.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,984 (42.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 154 (2.2% of population)
- Born in another country: 101 (1.4% of population)
#34. Golden Valley County
- Population: 841
- Born in Montana: 453 (53.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 370 (44.0% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 7 (0.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 11 (1.3% of population)
#33. Sheridan County
- Population: 3,700
- Born in Montana: 1,996 (53.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 1,557 (42.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 84 (2.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 63 (1.7% of population)
#32. Lake County
- Population: 31,509
- Born in Montana: 17,445 (55.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 12,951 (41.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 326 (1.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 787 (2.5% of population)
#31. Richland County
- Population: 11,366
- Born in Montana: 6,545 (57.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 4,340 (38.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 107 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 374 (3.3% of population)
#30. Sweet Grass County
- Population: 3,697
- Born in Montana: 2,131 (57.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 1,514 (41.0% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 24 (0.6% of population)
- Born in another country: 28 (0.8% of population)
#29. Cascade County
- Population: 84,423
- Born in Montana: 49,249 (58.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 32,506 (38.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,403 (1.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,265 (1.5% of population)
#28. Yellowstone County
- Population: 165,524
- Born in Montana: 96,831 (58.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 64,420 (38.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,169 (0.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 3,104 (1.9% of population)
#27. Wheatland County
- Population: 2,060
- Born in Montana: 1,220 (59.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 775 (37.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 6 (0.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 59 (2.9% of population)
#26. Dawson County
- Population: 8,915
- Born in Montana: 5,400 (60.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 3,329 (37.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 73 (0.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 113 (1.3% of population)
#25. Toole County
- Population: 5,018
- Born in Montana: 3,042 (60.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 1,708 (34.0% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 52 (1.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 216 (4.3% of population)
#24. Custer County
- Population: 11,957
- Born in Montana: 7,460 (62.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 4,217 (35.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 55 (0.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 225 (1.9% of population)
#23. Fallon County
- Population: 2,941
- Born in Montana: 1,841 (62.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 1,043 (35.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 28 (1.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 29 (1.0% of population)
#22. Petroleum County
- Population: 416
- Born in Montana: 262 (63.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 149 (35.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 5 (1.2% of population)
#21. Fergus County
- Population: 11,496
- Born in Montana: 7,246 (63.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 4,041 (35.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 28 (0.2% of population)
- Born in another country: 181 (1.6% of population)
#20. Prairie County
- Population: 1,283
- Born in Montana: 825 (64.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 336 (26.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 18 (1.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 104 (8.1% of population)
#19. Treasure County
- Population: 680
- Born in Montana: 438 (64.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 218 (32.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 13 (1.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 11 (1.6% of population)
#18. Rosebud County
- Population: 8,310
- Born in Montana: 5,377 (64.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,766 (33.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 18 (0.2% of population)
- Born in another country: 149 (1.8% of population)
#17. Deer Lodge County
- Population: 9,435
- Born in Montana: 6,175 (65.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 3,061 (32.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 54 (0.6% of population)
- Born in another country: 145 (1.5% of population)
#16. Teton County
- Population: 6,238
- Born in Montana: 4,163 (66.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 1,939 (31.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 72 (1.2% of population)
- Born in another country: 64 (1.0% of population)
#15. Chouteau County
- Population: 5,897
- Born in Montana: 3,964 (67.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 1,747 (29.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 122 (2.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 64 (1.1% of population)
#14. Daniels County
- Population: 1,535
- Born in Montana: 1,045 (68.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 443 (28.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 47 (3.1% of population)
#13. Valley County
- Population: 7,552
- Born in Montana: 5,256 (69.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,218 (29.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 41 (0.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 37 (0.5% of population)
#12. Garfield County
- Population: 976
- Born in Montana: 683 (70.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 293 (30.0% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 0 (0.0% of population)
#11. Silver Bow County
- Population: 35,306
- Born in Montana: 24,790 (70.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 9,808 (27.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 192 (0.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 516 (1.5% of population)
#10. Judith Basin County
- Population: 2,039
- Born in Montana: 1,438 (70.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 559 (27.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 13 (0.6% of population)
- Born in another country: 29 (1.4% of population)
#9. McCone County
- Population: 1,746
- Born in Montana: 1,256 (71.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 467 (26.7% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 23 (1.3% of population)
#8. Pondera County
- Population: 5,987
- Born in Montana: 4,385 (73.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 1,467 (24.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 24 (0.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 111 (1.9% of population)
#7. Phillips County
- Population: 4,233
- Born in Montana: 3,196 (75.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 943 (22.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1 (0.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 93 (2.2% of population)
#6. Big Horn County
- Population: 13,090
- Born in Montana: 10,060 (76.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,917 (22.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 5 (0.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 108 (0.8% of population)
#5. Hill County
- Population: 16,238
- Born in Montana: 12,818 (78.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 3,189 (19.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 105 (0.6% of population)
- Born in another country: 126 (0.8% of population)
#4. Roosevelt County
- Population: 10,799
- Born in Montana: 8,536 (79.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,145 (19.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 7 (0.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 111 (1.0% of population)
#3. Glacier County
- Population: 13,781
- Born in Montana: 11,057 (80.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,453 (17.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 163 (1.2% of population)
- Born in another country: 108 (0.8% of population)
#2. Liberty County
- Population: 1,993
- Born in Montana: 1,610 (80.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 344 (17.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 27 (1.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 12 (0.6% of population)
#1. Blaine County
- Population: 7,030
- Born in Montana: 5,946 (84.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 963 (13.7% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 46 (0.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 75 (1.1% of population)
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 49 states.
