Japanese Population in Montana by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Japanese population in Montana totals 3,045, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Leading cities include Billings (459), followed by Missoula (437) and Bozeman (237), each hosting visible segments of the community. While these urban centers anchor much of the population, the statewide total points to a broader presence in unincorporated areas and smaller towns beyond major city boundaries. The analysis below explores how Japanese residents are distributed across Montana''s urban and rural landscape.

Top 5 cities with the largest Japanese population in Montana

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  • 1
    Billings
    Japanese population in Billings is 459
    0.39% of Billings population is Japanese
  • 2
    Missoula
    Japanese population in Missoula is 437
    0.58% of Missoula population is Japanese
  • 3
    Bozeman
    Japanese population in Bozeman is 237
    0.43% of Bozeman population is Japanese
  • 4
    Havre
    Japanese population in Havre is 142
    1.52% of Havre population is Japanese
  • 5
    Great Falls
    Japanese population in Great Falls is 117
    0.19% of Great Falls population is Japanese

Overview of Japanese population in Montana

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate Montana contains 3,045 Japanese residents (0.28% of 1.1 million total state population), positioning the state at the 20th percentile nationally among U.S. states for Japanese population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show Montana's Japanese demographic representation of 0.28% remains below the national average of 0.49%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Montana contains 3,045 Japanese residents, representing less than 1% of the nation's total Japanese population of 1.6 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 data indicate Montana maintains fewer than 1 Japanese per square mile, compared to the national average of 0.46 per square mile, placing the state among jurisdictions with minimal demographic representation nationally.
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80 Cities in Montana Ranked by Japanese Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Japanese population in Montana present in Billings, Missoula, and Bozeman, along with several other incorporated cities reporting non-zero populations. 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 Japanese population count
Rank by Japanese Population
City
Japanese Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Montana Japanese Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Billings 459 0.39% 15.07%
2 Missoula 437 0.58% 14.35%
3 Bozeman 237 0.43% 7.78%
4 Havre 142 1.52% 4.66%
5 Great Falls 117 0.19% 3.84%
6 Belgrade 100 0.88% 3.28%
7 Helena 91 0.27% 2.99%
8 74 0.28% 2.43%
9 34 0.40% 1.12%
10 26 1.28% 0.85%
11 18 0.56% 0.59%
12 17 0.45% 0.56%
13 12 1.11% 0.39%
14 11 0.37% 0.36%
14 11 0.56% 0.36%
14 11 2.56% 0.36%
15 8 0.31% 0.26%
16 7 0.14% 0.23%
16 7 1.25% 0.23%
17 5 0.23% 0.16%
18 4 0.40% 0.13%
18 4 0.64% 0.13%
19 3 0.52% 0.10%
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Need the complete table? Full rankings and the underlying data sets for California and other locations are available for purchase or license.

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 Japanese population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Japanese 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 Japanese 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 Japanese alone, while others identify as Japanese along with another race (such as Japanese and German).
  • We’ve used the “Japanese alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Japanese population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Japanese 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 Japanese .
  2. % of Total Montana Japanese Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Japanese 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 Japanese 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 Japanese 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 Japanese populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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