Montana Falls Behind In Quality Of Life Rankings

Montana May Feel Like Home, But What Do The Rankings Say?

I've talked about how I wasn't born in Montana, but I got here as fast as I could and now have lived here longer than anywhere else.

Montana gets deep into your bones and attaches itself to your soul for most people who spend time here, which makes it so baffling that our ranking for quality of life is near the bottom for states in America.

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CNBC’s 2025 Rankings Reveal A Harsh Reality For Montana

CNBC has recently just put out their top states for business ranking for the year 2025.

They looked at numerous metrics to determine their rankings, and one of the factors was quality of life.

To be honest, it's a bit scary when considering all the factors. Montana has either dropped in rankings where we hoped to improve or risen in areas where we preferred a decline.

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We Think Montana Is Great — But Does the Data Agree?

We might think living in Montana is amazing, but does the data prove that as well?

CNBC looked at the following factors to determine our quality of life rating: crime rate, air quality, and the cost and availability of child care.

They also considered protections for workers and safeguards against discrimination, along with factoring in reproductive rights, which are important for young workers when evaluating jobs offered in other states.

After looking at all the data, they determined Montana had the 35th best quality of life, putting us in the bottom half in America.

Take a look at all our rankings in the gallery below.👇

Montana's Score & Ranking In CNBC's 'The Top States For Business'

CNBC has put out their 2025 list for what states are best for businesses. They look at numerous factors to rank each state, here are the scores and rankings for Montana. A link to how they determined their rankings is in the last image.

Gallery Credit: Nick Northern

LOOK: How Many of These Classic Summer Toys Do You Remember?

If you grew up in the Wild West of the '60s, '70s, or '80s, summer toys were a lifeline because many of us were locked outside (until the street lights came on). Inside was no place for a kid! Check out these classic summer toys that kept us cool, kept us busy, and always seemed to add a dash of danger.

Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz