Violent crime
384 per 100,000 residents, per year
4,394 reported in the 12 months to Jun 2026
−12% vs. the previous 12 months
Data through June 2026, FBI Crime Data Explorer
Crime in Montana
The violent crime rate in Montana is 384 per 100,000 residents per year over the 12 months to June 2026, 21% above the U.S. rate of 318, and the 12th-highest of the 50 states and D.C. Violent crime is down 12% from the previous 12 months, and up 10% since 2018.
The numbers
12 months to Jun 2026Property crime
1,366 per 100,000 residents, per year
15,620 reported in the 12 months to Jun 2026
−13% vs. the previous 12 months
All reported
1,750 per 100,000 residents, per year
20,014 reported in the 12 months to Jun 2026
Annual rates per 100,000 residents, counted the FBI’s way, the same as every city on this site.
What counts, and who reported
Violent crime is homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property crime is burglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson. The agencies that reported serve 99.9% of the state’s 1,144,694 residents, and rates are taken over the population they serve. How we count
Where Montana sits among the states
violent, per 100k, per year384
Montana has the 12th-highest violent crime rate of the 50 states and D.C., and the 26th-highest property crime rate.
Maine 89U.S. 318Washington, D.C. 786
The ring is Montana; the tick is the rate for the whole country.
Reported crime by type
12 months to Jun 2026- Homicide2.2 (U.S. 3.9)−44% vs. U.S.
- Rape55 (U.S. 35)+57% vs. U.S.
- Robbery16 (U.S. 46)−64% vs. U.S.
- Aggravated assault311 (U.S. 233)+33% vs. U.S.
- Property crimeBurglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson1,366 (U.S. 1,473)−7% vs. U.S.
See the table, with the change on the previous 12 months
| Offense | Reported | Per 100k | U.S. per 100k | vs. U.S. | vs. previous 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HomicideViolent | 25 | 2.2 | 3.9 | −44% | −20% |
| RapeViolent | 623 | 55 | 35 | +57% | −18% |
| RobberyViolent | 188 | 16 | 46 | −64% | −12% |
| Aggravated assaultViolent | 3,558 | 311 | 233 | +33% | −11% |
| Property crimeBurglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson | 15,620 | 1,366 | 1,473 | −7% | −13% |
The FBI publishes property crime for states as a single total, so it is not broken down here. Red means more than in the previous 12 months, green means fewer.
Homicides so far in 2026
Jan to Jun 20262026
11
−39% vs. the same months of 2025
2025
18
Same months, from January to June
| Month | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | 1 |
| Feb | 1 | 2 |
| Mar | 3 | 1 |
| Apr | 2 | 2 |
| May | 2 | 9 |
| Jun | 1 | 3 |
Who reported, and how final these are
Homicides reported to the FBI from January to June 2026, the latest month counted in full nationally. Agencies serving 99.8% of residents reported; late reports can still add a few to the most recent months.
Since 2018
per 100k, per yearViolent crime rate by year
Homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault per 100,000 residents
| Year | Violent crime rate in Montana |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 383 |
| 2019 | 426 |
| 2020 | 489 |
| 2022 | 433 |
| 2023 | 450 |
| 2024 | 428 |
| 2025 | 422 |
Homicide rate by year
Homicides per 100,000 residents
| Year | Homicide rate in Montana |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 3.9 |
| 2019 | 3.8 |
| 2020 | 5.0 |
| 2022 | 4.5 |
| 2023 | 2.9 |
| 2024 | 2.9 |
| 2025 | 2.8 |
Why there is no 2021
No figure for 2021: that year the FBI switched every agency to its new reporting system (NIBRS), and so many had not switched yet that national coverage fell too low for a rate. The dotted line only joins the years on either side.
Cities in Montana
4 city pages, per 100k, per yearMonth by month
Violent crimes in each city’s latest 12 months against the 12 before. Each chart has its own scale: compare the two lines within a city.
Billings801 −14%
Missoula416 −19%
Great Falls297 −25%
Bozeman244 −8%
| # | City | Violent per 100k | Property per 100k | vs. Montana | Residents | Data through |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Billings63rd of 302 | 653 | 2,212 | +70% | 122,571 | Sep 2026 |
| 2 | Missoula93rd of 302 | 525 | 2,562 | +37% | 79,184 | Aug 2026 |
| 3 | Great Falls104th of 302 | 496 | 3,577 | +29% | 59,904 | Aug 2026 |
| 4 | Bozeman122nd of 302 | 414 | 1,666 | +8% | 58,949 | Sep 2026 |
How to read this table
The line under each city is its place among the 302 cities and county areas on this site, highest rate first. City rates use the same FBI definitions as the state, so each one can be read against the Montana figure directly. Each department reports on its own schedule, so the 12-month windows differ a little between rows.
County police and sheriff areas in Montana
2 pages, per 100k, per year| # | Area | Violent per 100k | Property per 100k | vs. Montana | Residents served | Data through |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flathead County (Sheriff)171st of 302 | 320 | 573 | −17% | 68,046 | Jun 2026 |
| 2 | Gallatin County (Sheriff)215th of 302 | 229 | 620 | −40% | 52,755 | Aug 2026 |
What a county area covers
A county police department or sheriff’s office is not the whole county: each row is the area that agency patrols, mostly the parts of the county without a police department of their own, with the population it serves according to the FBI. Cities with their own police are in the table above. Same FBI definitions as the state and the cities, so every row compares.
Neighboring states
per 100k, per year| State | Violent | Property | Homicide | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | 384 | 1,366 | 2.2 | 12 |
| South Dakota | 322 | 1,440 | 2.7 | 22 |
| North Dakota | 220 | 1,360 | 2.0 | 38 |
| Idaho | 217 | 601 | 2.1 | 39 |
| Wyoming | 185 | 1,010 | 2.5 | 46 |
Rank among the 50 states and D.C. by violent crime rate, 1 being the highest. Same FBI window for every state: the 12 months to June 2026.
Common questions
answered with the data aboveIs Montana safe?
By reported violent crime, Montana is above the national level: 384 violent crimes per 100,000 residents per year over the 12 months to June 2026, against 318 for the U.S. It varies a lot from city to city: among the 4 Montana cities on this site, Billings runs 653 and Bozeman 414.
What is the violent crime rate in Montana?
384 per 100,000 residents per year, counting homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault reported to the FBI over the 12 months to June 2026 (4,394 offenses). The property crime rate is 1,366 per 100,000.
Is crime in Montana going up or down?
It is going down: violent crime −12% and property crime −13% over the last 12 months compared with the 12 months before. Since 2018 the violent crime rate is up 10%.
Source and dates
FBI CDE- Source
- Federal Bureau of Investigation, via the FBI Crime Data Explorer: monthly offense counts and the population served by the agencies that reported
- Latest 12 months
- July 2025 to June 2026
- Reporting coverage
- Agencies serving 99.9% of residents
- History on this site
- 2018 to 2025 by year (no 2021), and month by month since January 2018
- Update schedule
- We refresh every morning and publish the most recent 12 months that agencies across the country have reported in full.
- Methodology
- How we count, and what the numbers leave out