German Population in Montana by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The German population in Montana totals 256,648, with representation in every incorporated city included in this analysis. Leading communities are found in Billings (32,735), followed by Missoula (15,943) and Great Falls (12,509), reflecting a strong urban presence. Despite this broad municipal footprint, the statewide count exceeds the combined city totals - suggesting that many German residents may live in unincorporated areas or towns below the population threshold used here. The analysis below explores how German communities are distributed across Montana and how this compares with broader patterns nationwide.

Top 5 cities with the largest German population in Montana

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  • 1
    Billings
    German population in Billings is 32,735
    27.67% of Billings population is German
  • 2
    Missoula
    German population in Missoula is 15,943
    21.09% of Missoula population is German
  • 3
    Great Falls
    German population in Great Falls is 12,509
    20.71% of Great Falls population is German
  • 4
    Bozeman
    German population in Bozeman is 11,518
    20.93% of Bozeman population is German
  • 5
    Helena
    German population in Helena is 7,935
    23.95% of Helena population is German

Overview of German population in Montana

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey show Montana contains 256,648 German residents (23.2% of 1.1 million total state population), positioning the state at the 20th percentile nationally among U.S. states for German population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate Montana's German population of 23.2% exceeds the national average of 12.6% by a factor of 1.8.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Montana contains 256,648 German residents, representing less than 1% of the nation's total German population of 41.8 million, constituting a minimal fraction of the national demographic community relative to the state's overall population size.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey document Montana with 1.8 German Americans per square mile, below the national average of 11.8 per square mile, placing the state among jurisdictions with below-average demographic concentrations nationally.
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80 Cities in Montana Ranked by German Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show German populations across all incorporated cities in Montana, with no cities recording zero residents identified as Americans of German birth or descent. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Montana ranked by German population count
Rank by German Population
City
German Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Montana German Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Billings 32,735 27.67% 12.75%
2 Missoula 15,943 21.09% 6.21%
3 Great Falls 12,509 20.71% 4.87%
4 Bozeman 11,518 20.93% 4.49%
5 Helena 7,935 23.95% 3.09%
6 Kalispell 6,040 22.51% 2.35%
7 Laurel 2,583 35.89% 1.01%
8 2,339 37.51% 0.91%
9 2,336 27.05% 0.91%
10 2,307 20.19% 0.90%
11 2,258 26.84% 0.88%
12 2,165 25.71% 0.84%
13 1,694 35.07% 0.66%
14 1,672 17.91% 0.65%
15 1,529 25.37% 0.60%
16 1,174 23.72% 0.46%
17 1,150 20.79% 0.45%
18 946 17.74% 0.37%
19 939 23.36% 0.37%
20 844 27.76% 0.33%
21 819 26.99% 0.32%
22 749 36.82% 0.29%
23 718 46.78% 0.28%
24 716 28.05% 0.28%
25 656 20.97% 0.26%
26 653 29.26% 0.25%
27 638 21.64% 0.25%
28 608 30.26% 0.24%
29 586 30.81% 0.23%
30 583 15.48% 0.23%
31 556 28.88% 0.22%
32 551 25.56% 0.21%
33 538 22.43% 0.21%
34 480 31.37% 0.19%
35 462 14.46% 0.18%
36 449 24.20% 0.17%
37 445 20.49% 0.17%
38 444 22.61% 0.17%
39 437 27.87% 0.17%
40 428 25.45% 0.17%
41 416 31.37% 0.16%
42 397 23.67% 0.15%
43 378 41.72% 0.15%
44 376 14.44% 0.15%
45 354 16.47% 0.14%
46 342 40.24% 0.13%
47 327 28.41% 0.13%
48 313 21.48% 0.12%
49 306 33.30% 0.12%
50 295 20.21% 0.11%
51 285 26.46% 0.11%
52 282 14.37% 0.11%
53 259 15.07% 0.10%
54 248 45.67% 0.10%
54 248 16.87% 0.10%
55 237 23.42% 0.09%
56 230 20.97% 0.09%
57 223 31.68% 0.09%
57 223 21.16% 0.09%
58 222 28.17% 0.09%
59 206 20.70% 0.08%
60 200 31.95% 0.08%
61 197 45.81% 0.08%
62 177 28.83% 0.07%
63 173 23.19% 0.07%
64 164 19.43% 0.06%
65 163 28.35% 0.06%
66 161 19.01% 0.06%
67 158 19.17% 0.06%
68 150 26.46% 0.06%
69 133 15.13% 0.05%
70 124 23.62% 0.05%
71 116 20.07% 0.05%
72 111 19.89% 0.04%
73 110 16.67% 0.04%
74 105 16.06% 0.04%
75 100 9.50% 0.04%
76 87 14.15% 0.03%
77 26 3.97% 0.01%
78 12 1.21% 0.00%
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in Montana by their German population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines German population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having German ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as German alone, while others identify as German along with another race (such as German and German).
  • We’ve used the “German alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the German population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as German alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as German .
  2. % of Total Montana German Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. German population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small German populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported German population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where German populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.