What percentage of people rent in Billings, MT?

Name: Renters and owners in Billings, MT, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

35.2% (±1.6 points) of the occupied homes in Billings, MT are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 17,935 renting households against 33,059 that own their home.

In Billings, the share of households that rent went from 37.0% in 2015–2019 to 35.2% in 2020–2024 (−1.8 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 35.2% (±1.6 points)
Renting households: 17,935 (±900)
Median renter income: $45,701 (±$3,303)

Who rents and who owns in Billings

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Billings	Yellowstone County	Montana	United States
Renter-occupied share	35.2% (±1.6 points)	30.4% (±1.4 points)	30.8% (±0.5 points)	34.8%
Renting households	17,935 (±900)	21,238 (±1,011)	141,459 (±2,303)	45,017,354
Owning households	33,059 (±855)	48,659 (±966)	317,400 (±3,818)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	1.9 (±0.1)	2.0 (±0.1)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.5 (±0.1)	2.6 (±0.0)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$45,701 (±$3,303)	$47,148 (±$2,840)	$48,192 (±$1,103)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$94,156 (±$4,577)	$95,091 (±$3,276)	$85,804 (±$1,088)	$100,009

In Billings, the renter share is higher than in Yellowstone County (30.4%).

It is also higher than in Montana (30.8%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (34.8%).

In Yellowstone County, Billings ranks 2 of 4 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 49 of 167.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Billings has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	37.0% (±1.4 points)	35.2% (±1.6 points)	−1.8 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$899 (±$26)	$1,138 (±$38)	+26.6%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$59,656 (±$1,623)	$73,712 (±$3,113)	+23.6%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Billings

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Billings
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Billings	—	35.2% (±1.6 points)	—
Lockwood	8.0 mi	24.2% (±6.2 points)	Lower
Laurel	13 mi	41.3% (±6.9 points)	Not measurably different
Broadview	27 mi	13.4% (±13.5 points)	Lower
Joliet	29 mi	13.9% (±8.9 points)	Lower
Fromberg	32 mi	18.5% (±10.5 points)	Lower
Columbus	35 mi	23.3% (±7.6 points)	Lower
Bridger	38 mi	25.6% (±8.1 points)	Lower
Lavina	40 mi	18.9% (±15.2 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Lockwood, MT (24.2%), Broadview, MT (13.4%), Joliet, MT (13.9%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Yellowstone County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Laurel	41.3% (±6.9 points)
2	Billings	35.2% (±1.6 points)
3	Lockwood	24.2% (±6.2 points)
4	Broadview	13.4% (±13.5 points)

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Billings

How many renters are there in Billings?

Billings has an estimated 17,935 (±900) renting households, 35.2% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Billings?

In Billings, the share of households that rent went from 37.0% in 2015–2019 to 35.2% in 2020–2024 (−1.8 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Billings?

A renting household in Billings has 1.9 people on average, against 2.5 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Billings?

The median renting household in Billings, MT has an income of $45,701 (±$3,303) a year, against $94,156 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Billings city, Montana (place:06550, in state:30).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.