Scottish Population in Montana by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Scottish population in Montana totals 30,697, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Leading cities include Billings (3,309), followed by Missoula (2,047) and Bozeman (2,033), 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 Scottish residents are distributed across Montana''s urban and rural landscape.

Top 5 cities with the largest Scottish population in Montana

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  • 1
    Billings
    Scottish population in Billings is 3,309
    2.80% of Billings population is Scottish
  • 2
    Missoula
    Scottish population in Missoula is 2,047
    2.71% of Missoula population is Scottish
  • 3
    Bozeman
    Scottish population in Bozeman is 2,033
    3.69% of Bozeman population is Scottish
  • 4
    Great Falls
    Scottish population in Great Falls is 1,482
    2.45% of Great Falls population is Scottish
  • 5
    Helena
    Scottish population in Helena is 1,156
    3.49% of Helena population is Scottish

Overview of Scottish population in Montana

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey documents Montana with 30,697 Scottish residents (2.8% of 1.1 million total state population), ranking the state at the 18th percentile nationally among U.S. jurisdictions for Scottish demographic representation.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate Montana's Scottish population of 2.8% exceeds the national average of 1.6% by a factor of 1.8.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Montana contains 30,697 Scottish residents, representing less than 1% of the nation's total Scottish population of 5.3 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 0.21 Scottish Americans per square mile, below the national average of 1.5 per square mile, placing the state among jurisdictions with below-average demographic concentrations nationally.
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80 Cities in Montana Ranked by Scottish Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Scottish 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 Scottish population count
Rank by Scottish Population
City
Scottish Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Montana Scottish Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Billings 3,309 2.80% 10.78%
2 Missoula 2,047 2.71% 6.67%
3 Bozeman 2,033 3.69% 6.62%
4 Great Falls 1,482 2.45% 4.83%
5 Helena 1,156 3.49% 3.77%
6 Kalispell 1,140 4.25% 3.71%
7 Belgrade 547 4.79% 1.78%
8 401 4.64% 1.31%
9 314 6.34% 1.02%
10 300 4.17% 0.98%
11 256 2.74% 0.83%
12 227 3.64% 0.74%
13 219 2.60% 0.71%
14 206 2.45% 0.67%
15 193 3.20% 0.63%
16 156 2.92% 0.51%
17 155 5.11% 0.50%
18 152 7.05% 0.50%
19 148 6.17% 0.48%
20 123 3.06% 0.40%
21 117 6.15% 0.38%
22 104 5.18% 0.34%
23 99 1.79% 0.32%
23 99 3.36% 0.32%
24 97 9.59% 0.32%
25 94 3.09% 0.31%
26 92 4.12% 0.30%
27 85 5.56% 0.28%
28 81 2.59% 0.26%
29 71 3.62% 0.23%
30 67 4.59% 0.22%
31 63 3.40% 0.21%
32 62 3.22% 0.20%
33 59 5.38% 0.19%
34 58 3.45% 0.19%
35 56 2.75% 0.18%
36 54 6.38% 0.18%
37 48 0.99% 0.16%
37 48 4.55% 0.16%
38 46 2.34% 0.15%
39 44 1.38% 0.14%
40 39 3.70% 0.13%
41 38 1.01% 0.12%
41 38 2.27% 0.12%
42 37 3.21% 0.12%
43 35 3.86% 0.11%
44 33 2.49% 0.11%
45 32 1.49% 0.10%
46 30 5.71% 0.10%
47 28 4.94% 0.09%
47 28 4.87% 0.09%
48 26 1.20% 0.08%
49 24 0.92% 0.08%
50 22 2.67% 0.07%
51 21 1.22% 0.07%
52 20 3.03% 0.07%
52 20 1.37% 0.07%
53 19 2.41% 0.06%
54 18 2.12% 0.06%
55 17 2.41% 0.06%
56 16 1.09% 0.05%
56 16 1.49% 0.05%
57 15 2.44% 0.05%
58 14 1.41% 0.05%
58 14 2.24% 0.05%
59 13 1.99% 0.04%
60 11 1.97% 0.04%
61 10 1.14% 0.03%
62 9 1.46% 0.03%
63 6 1.11% 0.02%
64 4 0.16% 0.01%
65 2 0.20% 0.01%
65 2 0.27% 0.01%
65 2 0.47% 0.01%
66 1 0.12% 0.00%
67 0 - -
67 0 - -
67 0 - -
67 0 - -
67 0 - -
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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 Scottish population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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