Do you live in one of the most miserable places in Montana?
According to a Harris Poll taken in October of 2015, only a third of Americans say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that Americans – especially folks in Montana – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.
But, we were curious – which Montana cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using science and data.
After analyzing the largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Treasure State:
- Pablo
- Lame Deer
- Hamilton
- North Browning
- Lakeside
- South Browning
- Polson
- Hardin
- Missoula (Photos)
- Libby
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.
Oh, and by the way, Montana City is the happiest place in Montana.
Or check out the Most Miserable Cities In America.
If you’re looking for something more positive, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.
How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In Montana
In order to rank the unhappiest places in Montana, we had to determine what criteria makes people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress free, and have a stable home life.
So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2010-2014 report for the criteria, flipped the list, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- Percentage of residents with a college degree
- Average commute times
- Unemployment rates
- Cost of living
- % of married couples
- % of home owners
- Poverty rate
After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 108 places in Montana with over 2,000 people.
We then ranked each place from one to 52 for each of the seven criteria with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).
Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index ‘earning’ the title ‘Most Miserable City In Montana’.
If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.
1. Pablo
Population: 2,616
People Who Own Their Home: 43.13%
Married Adults: 32.85%
2. Lame Deer
Population: 2,131
People Who Own Their Home: 36.84%
Married Adults: 32.27%
3. Hamilton
Population: 4,486
People Who Own Their Home: 45.27%
Married Adults: 41.93%
4. North Browning
Population: 2,363
People Who Own Their Home: 30.03%
Married Adults: 28.27%
5. Lakeside
Population: 2,755
People Who Own Their Home: 52.62%
Married Adults: 51.37%
6. South Browning
Population: 2,045
People Who Own Their Home: 29.76%
Married Adults: 38.12%
7. Polson
Population: 4,580
People Who Own Their Home: 39.83%
Married Adults: 43.75%
8. Hardin
Population: 3,720
People Who Own Their Home: 47.35%
Married Adults: 45.48%
9. Missoula
Population: 68,377
People Who Own Their Home: 44.85%
Married Adults: 38.13%
10. Libby
Population: 2,667
People Who Own Their Home: 47.02%
Married Adults: 35.43%
There You Have It
Like we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in {state} is usually a subjective matter. But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in {state}, according to science:
For more Montana reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Worst Places To Live In Montana
- These Are The 10 Dumbest Cities In Montana
- These Are The 10 Snobbiest Places In Montana
Detailed List Of Miserable Places In Montana
City | Rank |
---|---|
Pablo | 1 |
Lame Deer | 2 |
Hamilton | 3 |
North Browning | 4 |
Lakeside | 5 |
South Browning | 6 |
Polson | 7 |
Hardin | 8 |
Missoula | 9 |
Libby | 10 |
East Missoula | 11 |
Kalispell | 12 |
Bozeman | 13 |
Dillon | 14 |
Livingston | 15 |
Big Sky | 16 |
Anaconda-Deer Lodge County | 17 |
Whitefish | 18 |
Shelby | 19 |
Cut Bank | 20 |
Red Lodge | 21 |
Billings | 22 |
Wolf Point | 23 |
Great Falls | 24 |
Helena | 25 |
Belgrade | 26 |
Orchard Homes | 27 |
Townsend | 28 |
Helena Valley Southeast | 29 |
Evergreen | 30 |
Columbia Falls | 31 |
Glendive | 32 |
Lolo | 33 |
Lockwood | 34 |
Bigfork | 35 |
Glasgow | 36 |
Conrad | 37 |
East Helena | 38 |
Sidney | 39 |
Miles City | 40 |
Columbus | 41 |
Havre | 42 |
Deer Lodge | 43 |
Laurel | 44 |
Four Corners | 45 |
Helena Valley West Central | 46 |
Malmstrom Afb | 47 |
Helena Valley Northeast | 48 |
Helena Valley Northwest | 49 |
Lewistown | 50 |
Colstrip | 51 |
Montana City | 52 |