PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Bozeman, MT

26.0
Life Score / 100
F
Grade (curved)
#387
of 387 metros
0%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Bozeman ranks #387 of 387 US metros, ahead of 0% - carried by its wages (66/100) and held back most by rent (6/100).

66
strongest: Wages
36
then: Childcare
6
weakest: Rent
7
weighted dimensions

Where Bozeman sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

26 0th percentile higher than 0% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). This entry sits in this band. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Above this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Above this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Above this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Bozeman Life Score

Bozeman's composite score of 26.0 out of 100, a grade of F, places the metro at rank #387 of 387, ahead of 0% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Wages (66/100) and Childcare (36/100), which pull the composite upward, while Rent (6/100) and Schools (8/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 102.5 (rent-RPP 139.2). BLS median salary $66,748, 62,840 jobs (Retail Salespersons, General and Operations Managers, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $2,154/mo (studio $1,485).

FBI UCR (MT): 426 violent, 1646 property/100K. NCES: 11.8:1 ratio, 0.0% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,466/yr. EPA: 19 Superfund sites (MT). Ranks #384-#- below.

Dimension detail

How Bozeman scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 13/100 (20%)
Wages 66/100 (20%)
Rent 6/100 (15%)
Safety 24/100 (15%)
Schools 8/100 (10%)
Childcare 36/100 (10%)
Environment 12/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

102.5
Cost Index (RPP)
$66,748
Avg Median Salary
$2,154
2BR Fair Market Rent
426
Violent Crime/100K (MT)
11.8:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$11,466
Infant Childcare/yr (MT)
19
Superfund Sites (MT)
62,840
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Bozeman With...

Bozeman vs Billings Compare → Bozeman vs Missoula Compare → Bozeman vs Helena Compare → Bozeman vs Wildwood Compare → Bozeman vs Waterloo Compare → Bozeman vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Bozeman outranks 0% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#384 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 30.0 F
#385 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 30.5 F
#386 Great Falls, MT 30.6 F
#387 Bozeman, MT 26.0 F

MT Metro Scores

Billings, MT D 35.6 Missoula, MT D 35.2 Helena, MT D 34.0 Great Falls, MT F 30.6

Using Bozeman's Life Score

Bozeman is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is wages (66/100) and its weakest is rent (6/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Bozeman head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Bozeman lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Bozeman's biggest strengths? ▼
Bozeman's strongest dimensions are Wages (66/100), Childcare (36/100), Safety (24/100).
What are Bozeman's weakest areas? ▼
Bozeman's lowest-scoring dimensions are Rent (6/100), Schools (8/100), Environment (12/100). Rent weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Bozeman compared to the national average? ▼
Bozeman's Regional Price Parity is 102.5 (2.5% more than national); rent RPP 139.2.
What is the average salary in Bozeman? ▼
Bozeman median salary: $66,748, 62,840 jobs. Top: Retail Salespersons, General and Operations Managers, Fast Food and Counter Workers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Bozeman's 26.0/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.