How many people live in Yellowstone County, MT?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 171,600 people living in Yellowstone County, MT. That makes Yellowstone County the most populous county in Montana. It is home to 15% of people living in the state.
172K
population of Yellowstone County, MT (2024)
15%
County share of the Montana population (2024)
About 171,600 people lived in Yellowstone County, MT in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Yellowstone County, MT’s age demographics?
About 32,900 Yellowstone County residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 19.2% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 21.1% of Montana’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 38,300 Yellowstone County residents, or 22.3% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 20.5% of Montana’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A lower share of Yellowstone County, MT's population is aged 45–64 than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Yellowstone County, MT’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 84.3% of the Yellowstone County, MT population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Yellowstone County, MT also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native (4.2%) than the US overall (0.72%).
In contrast, Yellowstone County’s Hispanic population accounts for 7%, below the 20% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Black or African American population makes up 0.6% of the county, compared with 12.6% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Yellowstone County, MT has a higher share of a Hispanic population than Montana as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Yellowstone County, MT is Billings with about 121,500 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Yellowstone County, MT ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Billings | 121,483 |
| 2. | Laurel | 7,251 |
| 3. | Broadview | 137 |
| 4. | Balance of Yellowstone County | 42,712 |
Keep exploring
Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
