Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Montana?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
To find the cities in Montana with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the FBI crime data on murders for the 8 cities in the Treasure State with over 2,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
What city has the highest murder rate in Montana? The city with the highest murder rate in Montana is Deer Lodge with 33.9 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Montana with highest number of murders? The city in Montana with the highest number of murders is Billings with 13 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Montana ranked. There were ‘only’ 8 cities in Montana where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 24 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Treasure State check out:
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Montana For 2024
1. Deer Lodge
/10
Population: 2,949
Murders: 1 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 33.9 (Most)
More on Deer Lodge: Crime
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Population: 6,066
Murders: 1 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 16.5 (2nd Most)
More on Sidney: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 117,866
Murders: 13 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 11.0 (3rd Most)
More on Billings: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 27,710
Murders: 1 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 3.6 (4th Most)
More on Kalispell: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 55,997
Murders: 2 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 3.6 (5th Most)
More on Bozeman: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 60,386
Murders: 2 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 3.3 (6th Most)
More on Great Falls: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 33,896
Murders: 1 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 3.0 (7th Most)
More on Helena: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 75,705
Murders: 2 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 2.6 (8th Most)
More on Missoula: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Montana
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of murders in each city annually.
We only looked at every single city in Montana for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 8 cities to rank.
We took the number of murders per capita as the ranking factor. The place with the most murders per capita based on the most recent data is Deer Lodge. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Montana. We updated the list for 2024.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Montana For 2024
If you’re looking at the places in Montana with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
The cities with the highest murder per capita in Montana are Deer Lodge, Sidney, Billings, Kalispell, Bozeman, Great Falls, Helena, and Missoula.
For more Montana reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Montana
- Fastest Growing Cities In Montana
- Safest Places In Montana
- Best Cities For Singles In Montana
- Worst Places To Live In Montana
Murder Rates By City In Montana
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deer Lodge, MT | 2949 | 1 | 33.91 |
| 2 | Sidney, MT | 6066 | 1 | 16.49 |
| 3 | Billings, MT | 117866 | 13 | 11.03 |
| 4 | Kalispell, MT | 27710 | 1 | 3.61 |
| 5 | Bozeman, MT | 55997 | 2 | 3.57 |
| 6 | Great Falls, MT | 60386 | 2 | 3.31 |
| 7 | Helena, MT | 33896 | 1 | 2.95 |
| 8 | Missoula, MT | 75705 | 2 | 2.64 |