State bird
Western meadowlark
Sources: Designation & background
Local timeHelena ·
U.S. States / West · Card 026
Montana
The Treasure State
Glacier National Park contains high mountains, lakes and valleys shaped by past glaciers.
Montana and its surroundings
● State capital · Gold highlights Montana.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
At a glance
- Capital
- Helena
- Postal abbreviation
- MT
- Population
- 1,144,694July 1, 2025 · Census estimate
- Total area
- 380,831 km²147,040 square miles · land and water
- Statehood
- November 8, 1889State number 41
- Region
- West
Sources: Census · population · Census · area
State symbols & traditions
State song
Montana
Sources: Designation & background
Geography & flag
01
Location
Neighboring states: Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming.
02
Landscape & places
Glacier National Park contains high mountains, lakes and valleys shaped by past glaciers. Glacial erosion can leave steep-sided valleys and basins that later fill with water, helping explain the park’s landscape.
03
Land and water
The total area includes 376,962 km² of land and 3,869 km² of water, according to Census area measurements.
State flag
The state seal beneath the word Montana on a blue field.
Sources: Census · geographic reference · Census · area measurements · National Park Service · Glacier
How the landscape works
Glaciers change landscapes by moving ice, rock, and sediment. Valleys and basins can remain after the ice that shaped them has retreated. A lake in a mountain basin may therefore be evidence of an earlier process as well as a present-day water body. The name Glacier National Park should prompt questions about past ice, not just how much ice a visitor sees today.
History
Why the Battle of the Little Bighorn happened
The 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie protected Lakota lands, including the Black Hills. After gold was found there in 1874, miners entered in violation of the treaty. The U.S. government’s efforts to force people onto reservations led to a military campaign against Lakota and Cheyenne groups who remained outside the agencies.
In June 1876, the Seventh Cavalry attacked a large Indigenous encampment along the Little Bighorn River in present-day Montana. Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors defeated the attacking force, including the soldiers with George Armstrong Custer. That victory did not end the conflict; further military pressure followed. The battle belongs within a wider struggle over treaty lands and sovereignty.
Read more: Historical source ↗
Why this mattered
The conflict leading to Little Bighorn was linked to U.S. pressure on Lakota and Cheyenne peoples and disputes over land, including the Black Hills. A battle is one event within that wider history. Studying only the battlefield outcome misses the policies, treaty issues, and efforts to control movement that preceded it.
Key dates
-
Montana Territory organized
-
Statehood · State number 41
Sources: Congressional Research Service · statehood · U.S. Census Bureau · historical geography · National Park Service
People and place
Indigenous history and communities today
The Blackfeet Nation provides a contemporary tribal perspective from Montana. Its history is distinct from those of the Lakota and Cheyenne peoples discussed in the Little Bighorn story; these communities are not interchangeable.
Continue with Blackfeet Nation. This is one starting point, not a complete account of the peoples connected to this land.
Compare
Montana and Idaho
| Measure | Montana | Idaho |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2025) | 1,144,694 | 2,029,733 |
| Land area (km²) | 376,962 | 214,045 |
| People per km² of land | 3.0 | 9.5 |
Idaho has more people per square kilometer of land. Population density divides population by land area. It is an average across the whole jurisdiction, not a claim that residents are evenly spread out.
Calculated from the Census population series and land-area measurements used on these pages. Rounded figures; water area is excluded. Explore Idaho.
Economy
Main activities
In 2025, real estate and rental and leasing was the largest of the broad industry groups compared here by current-dollar output. Other major groups included government and government enterprises, educational services, health care, and social assistance, and professional and business services.
Total economic output was $82.4 billion in current dollars in 2025.
Largest industry groups · 2025
- Real estate and rental and leasing: 14.8%
- Government and government enterprises: 12.3%
- Educational services, health care, and social assistance: 10.3%
- Professional and business services: 9.6%
Share of total current-dollar GDP. These figures measure output, not employment.
Sources: BEA · annual GDP by state, SAGDP2
Production, jobs and wages answer different questions
The industry chart measures the value of production. It does not count workers. An industry with a large share of GDP need not employ the most people or pay the highest wages. Employment and wage data would be needed to answer those questions.
Population & economic trends
Population, 2020–2025
Millions of people1.142025 · millions of people
July 1 resident population estimates, using the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 series.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau
View data table
| Year | People |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,087,156 |
| 2021 | 1,106,416 |
| 2022 | 1,121,533 |
| 2023 | 1,130,612 |
| 2024 | 1,137,557 |
| 2025 | 1,144,694 |
Real GDP, 2010–2025
Billions of chained 2017 dollars61.942025 · billions of chained 2017 dollars
Real GDP measures economic output adjusted for inflation. The chart uses BEA’s chained 2017 dollars.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
View data table
| Year | Millions of chained 2017 dollars |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 42,469.8 |
| 2011 | 43,532.2 |
| 2012 | 44,329.1 |
| 2013 | 45,114.7 |
| 2014 | 46,166.7 |
| 2015 | 47,765.6 |
| 2016 | 47,189.6 |
| 2017 | 48,470.5 |
| 2018 | 49,455.0 |
| 2019 | 50,263.5 |
| 2020 | 50,062.9 |
| 2021 | 53,345.9 |
| 2022 | 55,806.9 |
| 2023 | 58,604.9 |
| 2024 | 60,605.7 |
| 2025 | 61,939.7 |
Read the trend, then ask what explains it
Montana’s population increased by about 5.3% between 2020 and 2025 in this series. That shows the size of the change. The chart alone cannot tell us how much came from births, deaths or migration.
Real GDP adjusts for changes in prices, so it helps compare production over time. Current-dollar GDP includes price changes. Neither measure tells us how income is distributed among residents.
Representation
- Electoral votes
- 42024 & 2028 elections
- Voting U.S. House seats
- 22020 Census allocation
- U.S. Senate seats
- 2
Electoral votes equal the state’s U.S. House seats plus its two U.S. Senate seats. These allocations apply to the 2024 and 2028 presidential elections.
Practice
Test your knowledge
Use the explanations and data on this page to answer ten questions. Hints and links to the relevant sections are available throughout.
10 questions about Montana
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Sources & notes
Narrative and quiz updated 5 October 2026. Statistical data prepared 27 September 2026. Population: Census Bureau Vintage 2025, July 1 estimates for 2020–2025. Real GDP: BEA annual state accounts, SAGDP9, millions of chained 2017 dollars; industry shares: SAGDP2, current dollars. Data downloaded 27 September 2026. Area measurements include land and water.
Sources: Census · population estimates · BEA · state GDP · Census · area measurements · Natural Earth · map data
The capital clock shows current local time. Statistical figures are dated estimates and may be revised.
Updated 29 October 2026. Statistics retain the dated series shown in the charts; these are not live figures. Sources are linked beside each topic.