Starting a new business can be a big challenge. If you are wanting to start a business you may want to look for every advantage to succeed. If you are looking to start a new business in a smaller city, Montana has some attractive options. We have four small cities that rank very high when it comes to some of the "Best & Worst Small Cities to Start a Business" according to Wallet Hub.

Billings, Montana Didn't Make the List For a Reason

What is defined by a "small city" is a population between 25,000 and 100,000 people. Billings, Montana did not make the list, because they are too big. We had four cities make the list out of 1334 small cities in the United States. Bozeman, Missoula, Helena and Great Falls all made the list. According to Wallet Hub they looked at 18 key metrics in determining the list, everything from average growth in number of small businesses to investor access to labor cost.

Bozeman Ranked Surprisingly High

Bozeman ranked the highest coming in at number 4 on the list. Missoula ranked number 14 on the list with Helena coming in at number 21. Great Falls rounded out the Montana cities list a bit further down coming in at number 228. When studies like this come out, it makes Montana look even more attractive to people wanting to move here.

Montana is the Second Fastest Growing State in the Nation

Montana is the second fastest growing state behind Idaho in the United States. What is surprising is that within Montana in the western part of the state, Flathead County is growing at a much faster rate than Missoula, yet Kalispell and Whitefish aren't included on this list. If the population in Montana continues to grow, and we can get business and job growth to go with it, this may be a good thing happening to our state.

28 Missoula Businesses That Opened, Changed Ownership, or Changed Location

Yes, there has been a lot of change with Missoula businesses since 2020. Here is an idea of the business growth that has taken place.

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