Billings, MT Crime Map

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions: Billings, MT Crime & Safety

Is Billings, MT safe in 2026?

Billings earns an overall crime grade of B+ city-wide, and when neighborhoods are analyzed individually, the picture is even more encouraging: 90.9% of the 11 neighborhoods studied received an A grade, with the remaining 9.1% receiving a B. That means 100% of analyzed neighborhoods fall into the safe (A or B) range — no C, D, or F grades exist anywhere in the city. The city-wide safety rating is classified as Very Safe (A). Standout areas like Northwest Billings, Outlying North Billings, and Billings Heights all hold A+ ratings, while even the relatively lower-rated Downtown Billings only grades out at a B. For context, over the last 90 days, Billings recorded 1,792 total reported incidents across all categories — a manageable figure for a city of 116,593 residents.

What types of crime are most common in Billings?

Based on the most recent 90-day incident data (1,792 total incidents), the breakdown by crime type reveals clear patterns:

• Assault is the single most reported incident type, accounting for 27% of all incidents (484 cases).
• Motor Vehicle Theft is the second most prevalent at 22% (397 cases) — a notably high share that suggests vehicle security is a priority concern for residents.
• Theft accounts for 16% (279 cases), making property crime collectively the dominant safety challenge.
• Burglary represents 11% (193 cases), followed by Arrests at 9% (153) and Vandalism at 6% (111 cases).
• Shootings account for 6% (105 cases) and Robbery for 4% (70 cases).

Combined, motor vehicle theft and general theft alone make up 38% of all reported incidents, underscoring that property crime — not violent crime — is the primary driver of Billings' incident totals. Assault, while the top individual category, is concentrated in specific areas rather than spread evenly city-wide.

What are the safest neighborhoods in Billings?

Ten of Billings' 11 analyzed neighborhoods hold an A grade or better. The top five safest, all rated A+, are:

1. Northwest Billings — A+ rating, median household income of $162,330 (highest in the city). Population of 2,491.
2. Outlying North Billings — A+ rating, median income of $154,449. Smaller community of 1,585 residents.
3. Northeast Billings — A+ rating, median income of $94,054.
4. Shiloh — A+ rating, median income of $86,777. Home to 3,346 residents.
5. Southwest Billings — A+ rating, median income of $82,414.

Billings Heights is also worth highlighting: it holds an A+ rating while being one of the most populous neighborhoods in the city at 28,461 residents — demonstrating that safety at scale is achievable. North Elevation (32,880 residents) and West End (20,626 residents) both carry A grades, making them solid choices for families and renters alike.

Which area of Billings has the highest crime?

Downtown Billings is the only neighborhood in the analysis to receive a B grade, making it the comparatively highest-crime area in the city. It is important to put this in perspective: a B grade still represents a safe environment by national standards — it simply means Downtown sees more incident activity than the A-rated residential neighborhoods surrounding it. This is consistent with patterns seen in most mid-sized American cities, where downtown commercial corridors tend to concentrate a higher share of theft, assault, and vandalism reports. South Central Billings grades at an A- and is the second-lowest rated neighborhood, with a median income of $54,251 — the lowest among the analyzed areas. Both neighborhoods are worth being aware of when consulting the Billings crime map, though neither represents an unsafe environment in absolute terms.

How does Billings' crime rate compare to other Montana cities?

With 100% of its analyzed neighborhoods grading A or B and a city-wide safety classification of Very Safe (A), Billings compares favorably to many similarly sized cities across Montana and the broader Mountain West region. The city's 3.6% unemployment rate and median household income of $60,032 contribute to conditions that correlate with lower crime. The 9.8% poverty rate is below many comparable cities, which research consistently links to reduced property and violent crime incidence. While the 90-day incident total of 1,792 may seem significant, it spans all crime categories across a population of over 116,000 — roughly 15.4 incidents per 1,000 residents over the 90-day window, a rate that reflects Billings' overall B+ crime grade.

Is Billings a good place to live and raise a family?

The data strongly supports Billings as a family-friendly city. Key indicators include:

• Safety: 90.9% of neighborhoods earn an A grade; overall city grade is B+.
• Housing affordability: Median home value of $233,691 and median rent of $923/month are well below national averages.
• Economic stability: Unemployment sits at just 3.6%, and median household income is $60,032.
• Low poverty: A 9.8% poverty rate reflects a relatively stable economic base.
• Neighborhood options: Large, safe communities like Billings Heights (28,461 residents, A+) and North Elevation (32,880 residents, A) offer ample housing inventory with strong safety profiles.

Families prioritizing both safety and affordability will find that neighborhoods such as Shiloh, West End, and Terry (all A-rated) offer an excellent balance of livability and security according to the 2026 Billings crime map data.

How can I use the Billings crime map to stay safe?

The Billings crime map is most useful when you filter by incident type and time period. Given that motor vehicle theft accounts for 22% of all recent incidents — the second-largest category — residents parking in Downtown Billings or South Central Billings should pay particular attention to vehicle security alerts on the map. Similarly, because assault represents 27% of incidents, checking the map before attending evening events in higher-activity areas can help with route planning. The map's time-filter feature lets you isolate the last 30 or 90 days, which aligns with the incident window reflected in this page's data. For real-time updates, the Billings Police Department maintains official crime data that feeds into third-party mapping tools.