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Yellowstone County, Montana: crime rate, income and local data
FBI reports put Yellowstone County at 7.4 violent crimes per 1,000 people a year over 2021-2025, 68% higher than the rate for Montana (4.4). Median household income is $76,570 and the unemployment rate was 3.1% in August 2026. Population: about 168,957 (Census, 2020-2024).
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2021-2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Unemployment: BLS August 2026. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income · hazard risk · Superfund · dams
What is the crime rate in Yellowstone County?
From 2021 through 2025, Yellowstone County averaged 1,252 reported violent crimes a year, along with 5,167 property crimes. Per 1,000 residents, the violent-crime rate works out to 7.4: 68% higher than the Montana rate (4.4), and about 2.0 times the national rate (3.7). Burglary, theft and car theft together come to 30.4 per 1,000 residents, compared with 17.8 across Montana. Aggravated assaults make up 79% of the violent total. CDC death records show about 8 homicide deaths a year in the county (4.7 per 100,000), a count that includes cases police may classify differently.
| Offense (yearly average, 2021-2025) | Yellowstone County | Per 1,000 | Montana per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 1,252 | 7.4 | 4.4 | 3.7 |
| Murder | 10 | 0.06 | 0.03 | 0.06 |
| Rape | 126 | 0.74 | 0.61 | 0.40 |
| Robbery | 129 | 0.76 | 0.22 | 0.62 |
| Aggravated assault | 987 | 5.8 | 3.5 | 2.6 |
| Property crime | 5,167 | 30.4 | 17.8 | 18.1 |
| Burglary | 575 | 3.4 | 1.8 | 2.4 |
| Larceny-theft | 3,793 | 22.3 | 13.9 | 13.0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 799 | 4.7 | 2.0 | 2.6 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. County figures add up the city police and sheriff reports in the county (3 agencies; 100% of residents covered).
What is the median household income in Yellowstone County?
The median household in Yellowstone County earns $76,570 a year, close to the Montana median ($72,509). Owner-occupied homes have a median value of $349,500, and the median rent is $1,131 a month. 7.9% of households received SNAP benefits in the past year (state: 7.8%). The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 3.1% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 2,728 people out of work and looking.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Yellowstone County | Montana | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 168,957 | 1,116,875 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $76,570 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $349,500 | $375,800 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $1,131 | $1,081 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 3.4% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 9.2% | 11.5% | 12.5% |
| Households receiving SNAP (food stamps) | 7.9% | 7.8% | 12.1% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 34.1% | 35.2% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 69.6% | 69.2% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 39.0 | 40.4 | 38.9 |
| Households with broadband internet | 91.4% | 89.4% | 91.0% |
| People without health insurance | 7.7% | 8.6% | 8.4% |
What natural hazards and environmental sites are in Yellowstone County?
Yellowstone County carries a “Relatively Moderate” overall rating in FEMA's National Risk Index. None of the seven hazards on our map (floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat, earthquakes, hurricanes) is rated above “Relatively Moderate” here. The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Superfund sites
2 Superfund sites are on or proposed for EPA's National Priorities List in Yellowstone County: Lockwood Solvent Ground Water Plume and Billings Pce. A listing means EPA is managing a long-term cleanup; it does not by itself mean anyone is exposed today.
High-hazard dams
The National Inventory of Dams lists 1 high-hazard dam in Yellowstone County. None is rated Poor or Unsatisfactory; 1 is rated Satisfactory or Fair. The tallest is Lakeside (22 ft). “High hazard” describes what lies downstream (people would probably die if the dam failed), not how likely the dam is to fail.
Industrial chemical releases
13 facilities in the county filed Toxics Release Inventory reports for 2024, together reporting 807,792 pounds of listed chemicals released on site. Reported releases are legal permitted amounts in most cases.
Disasters, air and water
Yellowstone County was covered by 1 federal major disaster declaration from 2016 through 2025 (Flood 1), not counting COVID-19. EPA air monitors logged 1 day in 2024 when the air quality index reached “unhealthy for sensitive groups” or worse. Of 54 community water systems, 1 had an open health-based drinking-water violation in EPA's records (September 2026). EPA puts the county in radon zone 2 (moderate). NHTSA counted 24 traffic deaths in the county in 2024, including 2 pedestrians.
Is there road construction in Yellowstone County?
Montana does not publish an open highway work-zone feed that we can read yet, so road construction in Yellowstone County is not on our map. Check the state's 511 traveler site for current closures.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in Yellowstone County?
Yellowstone County has 68 public schools (2024-25) and 15 private schools (2023-24) in federal school lists. 7 nursing homes are certified by Medicare or Medicaid here; star ratings for each are on the map and on Medicare's Care Compare. USGS mapping shows 20 fire or EMS stations and 5 police or sheriff stations. 2 state parks or recreation areas: Lake Elmo State Park and Pictograph Cave State Park.
What tribal lands and sacred sites are in Yellowstone County?
Census tribal areas that reach into Yellowstone County: Crow Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land. 1 ancient or sacred site is on the map here: Pictograph Cave. Many are sacred to living communities, so visit respectfully and follow posted rules.
Tribal areas are Census statistical boundaries, shown for reference; they are not legal boundaries.
See them on the map: tribal lands · sacred sites →
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Yellowstone County
Gun shops
20 gun shops with a public storefront are on the map in Yellowstone County (16 from the ATF licensee list, 4 from OpenStreetMap), plus 45 more licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown). 5 of them are pawnshops licensed to sell guns. On the ATF list: Backcountry Pawn (Billings), Cabela's 432 (Billings), Daddy O's Pawn (Billings), Dunham's Sports 9296 (Billings), Midwest Shooting Center (Billings), Musser Bros INC (Billings), National Auction & Sales Mgmt (Billings), Northside Pawn (Billings) and 8 more.
Liquor stores
4 liquor stores are on the map in Yellowstone County: Montana Agency Liquor Store #196 (Billings), Montana Agency Liquor Store #3 (Billings), Montana Agency Liquor Store #4 (Billings) and Montana Agency Liquor Store #65 (Laurel).
Planned Parenthood
2 Planned Parenthood health centers are on the map in Yellowstone County: Planned Parenthood (Billings) and Planned Parenthood of Montana: Billings (Billings).
See them on the map: gun shops · liquor stores · Planned Parenthood →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in Yellowstone County?
Yellowstone County averaged 1,252 reported violent crimes a year in 2021-2025, or 7.4 per 1,000 residents, 68% higher than the Montana rate (4.4). The property-crime rate was 30.4 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in Yellowstone County?
$76,570 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average), compared with $72,509 for Montana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the unemployment rate in Yellowstone County?
The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 3.1% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 2,728 people out of work and looking.
What natural hazards affect Yellowstone County?
Yellowstone County carries a “Relatively Moderate” overall rating in FEMA's National Risk Index. None of the seven hazards on our map (floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat, earthquakes, hurricanes) is rated above “Relatively Moderate” here.
Are there Superfund sites in Yellowstone County?
2 Superfund sites are on or proposed for EPA's National Priorities List in Yellowstone County: Lockwood Solvent Ground Water Plume and Billings Pce.
How many nursing homes are in Yellowstone County?
7 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes (CMS provider data, September 2026).
How does Yellowstone County compare with neighboring counties?
| County | Population | Violent crimes per 1,000 (2021-25) | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Horn County | 12,891 | 5.4 | $58,750 |
| Carbon County | 11,116 | 1.6 | $80,261 |
| Golden Valley County | 899 | – | $58,333 |
| Musselshell County | 5,152 | 2.5 | $58,920 |
| Rosebud County | 8,165 | 0.95 | $49,914 |
| Stillwater County | 9,182 | 3.2 | $84,732 |
| Treasure County | 732 | – | $67,917 |
Cities in Yellowstone County with their own page: Billings.
More: Montana statewide numbers · Sex-offender registry search (U.S. Justice Department, NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting 2021-2025 (agency level, Return A), averaged and summed by county by Map the Block; Census population; state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes 2021-2025.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables.
- Monthly unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), county data, not seasonally adjusted. Public domain.
- Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores; disasters: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026). Chemical releases: U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory, reporting year 2024 (basic data file).
- Air and water: U.S. EPA AirData, annual AQI by county 2024; EPA Air Quality Design Values 2023-2025 (June 2026); U.S. EPA SDWIS via ECHO drinking-water download (September 30, 2026). Traffic deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024; Census population.
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026). Stations: U.S. Geological Survey, National Structures Dataset (Fire Stations/EMS Stations), October 2026 pull.
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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