Biggest Retail Cities in Montana: Top 25 Towns Ranked
Montana has 10,398 independent retail places spread across 118 towns. Billings leads with 1,627 — 15.6% of the state. The top 25 towns, and the eight most common store types, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
Montana by the numbers
Where the stores are
Montana has 10,398 independent retail places — 917.9 per 100,000 residents, 1.27× the national average of 724.8 and 5th of the 50 states and D.C. on retail density.
Billings holds 1,627 of them (15.6% of the state total). Missoula is second with 1,176 (11.3%). The 25 towns below account for 79.4% of Montana's retail; 118 towns in the state have at least five places.
The most common store type is the construction supplies store (1,538, 14.8% of the state's retail), followed by miscellaneous stores (587).
Top 25 retail towns in Montana
Independent retail places per city or town, with each town's share of Montana's 10,398 total. Only towns with at least five places are counted.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Billings | 1,627 | 15.6% |
| 2 | Missoula | 1,176 | 11.3% |
| 3 | Bozeman | 1,013 | 9.7% |
| 4 | Kalispell | 729 | 7.0% |
| 5 | Great Falls | 659 | 6.3% |
| 6 | Helena | 602 | 5.8% |
| 7 | Butte | 343 | 3.3% |
| 8 | Hamilton | 236 | 2.3% |
| 9 | Whitefish | 201 | 1.9% |
| 10 | Livingston | 182 | 1.8% |
| 11 | Belgrade | 180 | 1.7% |
| 12 | Columbia Falls | 126 | 1.2% |
| 13 | Havre | 117 | 1.1% |
| 14 | Polson | 116 | 1.1% |
| 15 | Miles City | 103 | 1.0% |
| 16 | Stevensville | 101 | 1.0% |
| 17 | Lewistown | 93 | 0.9% |
| 18 | Libby | 93 | 0.9% |
| 19 | Sidney | 92 | 0.9% |
| 20 | Dillon | 89 | 0.9% |
| 21 | Bigfork | 88 | 0.8% |
| 22 | Glendive | 80 | 0.8% |
| 23 | West Yellowstone | 75 | 0.7% |
| 24 | Red Lodge | 71 | 0.7% |
| 25 | Glasgow | 67 | 0.6% |
Counts use the city/town label on each place, so boroughs, villages and unincorporated areas appear separately from their parent city.
Most common store types in Montana
The eight largest independent-retail categories in Montana, with each one's share of the state's 10,398 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction Supplies Store | 1,538 | 14.8% |
| 2 | Miscellaneous Store | 587 | 5.6% |
| 3 | Clothing Store | 537 | 5.2% |
| 4 | Furniture and Home Store | 537 | 5.2% |
| 5 | Hardware Store | 500 | 4.8% |
| 6 | Sporting Goods Retail | 469 | 4.5% |
| 7 | Shoe Store | 413 | 4.0% |
| 8 | Gift Store | 401 | 3.9% |
Each place is counted once under its primary retail category. Grocery, pharmacy, fuel, liquor, cannabis, automotive and mall categories are excluded.
Frequently asked questions
- Which city in Montana has the most retail stores?
- Billings, with 1,627 independent retail places — 15.6% of Montana's 10,398 total. Missoula is next with 1,176.
- How many independent retail stores are in Montana?
- 10,398 shoppable independent retail places, or 917.9 per 100,000 residents (1.27× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks Montana 5th of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in Montana?
- The construction supplies store: 1,538 places, or 14.8% of Montana's retail. Miscellaneous Stores are second at 587.
Related reports
Store types where Montana ranks in the top 10
- Sporting Goods Stores by State: Every State RankedMontana ranks #1 per capita (41.4 per 100k)
- Shoe Stores by State: Every State RankedMontana ranks #4 per capita (36.5 per 100k)
- Furniture Stores by State: Every State RankedMontana ranks #5 per capita (47.4 per 100k)
- Antique Stores by State: Every State RankedMontana ranks #5 per capita (21.4 per 100k)
- Hardware Stores by State: Every State RankedMontana ranks #6 per capita (44.1 per 100k)
- Pet Stores by State: Every State RankedMontana ranks #6 per capita (26.4 per 100k)
- Gift Shops by State: Every State RankedMontana ranks #7 per capita (35.4 per 100k)
- Arts and Crafts Stores by State: Every State RankedMontana ranks #7 per capita (20 per 100k)
National retail reports
More states
- Biggest Retail Cities in Minnesota: Top 25 Towns Ranked46,452 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Mississippi: Top 25 Towns Ranked21,328 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Missouri: Top 25 Towns Ranked48,327 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Nebraska: Top 25 Towns Ranked11,183 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Nevada: Top 25 Towns Ranked20,234 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in New Hampshire: Top 25 Towns Ranked13,794 retail places
Data & method
- Source: Foursquare Open Source Places (U.S. slice, Apache-2.0), counted by Useful Economy. Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2023 estimates (July 1, 2023).
- What counts as retail: an open place carrying a Retail category label. Grocery and other food retail, pharmacies, convenience stores and fuel, liquor, cannabis, tobacco and vape, automotive, gun and hunting, adult, betting, fireworks, markets and shopping malls are excluded, so the counts describe shoppable independent storefronts rather than all commerce.
- Counting rule: each place is counted once, under its primary retail category and the city/town label on its address. Town tables include only towns with at least five places. Per-100k figures divide by state population; city populations are not used.
- Generated: September 15, 2026. Figures refresh when the source data is re-counted.
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