Montana is home to 1.12 million residents; Helena is its capital and Billings its largest city · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in Montana?
Montana ranks 5th safest of the 50 states and Washington, DC for property crime, with a CrimeGrade™ of A+. Theft makes up 57% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades A+, and vehicle theft grades A+.
A+
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 949 of 1,0005th safest of the 50 states and DCi What this means
86% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Montana as a whole, and 14% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Montana scores 949.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more property crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its property crime with the homes, parked cars and people there, on one national scale, from green for the least to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Montana at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Montana, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out about property crime in Montana
Arsons run high. Montana has arsons at about double the US rate: 0.24 a year per 1,000 residents, against 0.12 nationally.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in Montana
Low property crime is the norm across Montana: 94% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 1% in areas graded D or F. Property crime grades across Montana run from A+ to F.
94%
A or B 94%C 5%D or F 1%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
All 56 counties, ranked by property crime CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.
Cities of 10,000 or more residents, ranked by property crime CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.
Is property crime going up in Montana?
Reported property crime in Montana has fallen 27% since 2019. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 23 to 16 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). In 2024 alone, property crime fell 12%.
Property crime, change since 2019
MontanaUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police departments across Montana. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Property, Montana
Property, US
2016
+20%
+15%
2017
+16%
+12%
2018
+12%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
-4%
-8%
2021
-10%
-10%
2022
-12%
-6%
2023
-17%
-7%
2024
-27%
-15%
Property crime rates and types in Montana
CrimeGrade™ estimates Montana has about 23 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, about the same as the US as a whole.
All property crime
Burglary
Vehicle theft
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. Property crime here includes vandalism, which the FBI's property crime rate leaves out.
Theft is the most common property crime in Montana, about 57% of the total, followed by vandalism and burglary.
Each CrimeGrade™ here compares a property crime with what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for vehicle theft, people and parking for theft, homes and businesses for vandalism. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Where and when property crime happens in Montana
These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Montana, 2022 to 2024.
In Montana, 58% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Car thefts happen most often at homes: 38% of them, against 33% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (58%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (38%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Theft from cars
Homes (32%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (39%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
Property crime in Montana and nearby states
Montana has less property crime than 6 of its 10 nearest states.
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, one sets Montana apart: it has 7% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally. Places like that tend to report less car theft, and it runs low here.
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.57% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 96% of Americans
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more car theft.7% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 92% of Americans
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Montana: F (2 of 100).1 trips an hourUS: noneLower than for 90% of Americans
Show all 4
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.6.8% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 53% of Americans
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Montana on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more. Its Walk Grade for Montana is D (16 of 100).
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What property crime costs Montana
Property crime costs Montana about $179 million a year, or $160 per resident and about $400 per household: the value of what is stolen or damaged, plus the police, courts and prisons that respond.
Cost of property crime per resident, per year
How the cost breaks down
Pain and suffering add little to the cost of property crime, so this is close to its full cost.
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Burglary
$18 million
$16
Theft
$76 million
$68
Vehicle theft
$29 million
$26
Arson
$6.5 million
$6
Vandalism
$49 million
$44
Total
$179 million
$160
How CrimeGrade™ works
The property crime CrimeGrade™ covers burglary, theft, car theft, arson and vandalism, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most, on one scale for the whole country.
It weighs each property crime against what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for car theft, and the people and parking around stores for theft.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them. Montana is a good example: many people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks worse than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
