Many Montanans Are Leaving Big Sky Country, But Why?

For the last few years, we've talked a lot about people moving to Montana.

Whether it's the thrill of living in the West, or the idea of skiing, camping, and hunting most of the year, Montana has long been known as "The Last Best Place". However, according to recent data not only is the "Montana Migration" slowing down, it seems some folks have had enough and are moving on to greener pastures.

But the question is, why? Why are Montanans leaving the state that so many folks seem to want to call home?

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Well, that could be a long list. I mean, where do we start? Overpriced homes, high cost of living, transplants looking to change the Montana way of life. I mean, we could go on all day, and all of those reasons seem to be valid and part of why people are leaving.

How do we know people are leaving Montana?

Great question. Recent data from our friends at Uhaul state that there has been a decrease in folks coming to Big Sky Country.  2024 saw The Treasure State fall three places from 21st to 24th on the list of 50 states people were moving.

Uhaul keeps track of departures and arrivals and over the last year, the departures have remained the same, but the arrivals have gone down. Now, before all you transplant haters get too excited, it's only a 1 percent drop.

But hey, it's a start, right? I mean if we could do this for another couple of years, maybe we would see a decrease in the price of property and wouldn't that be a welcome treat?

So, for all of you reading this and thinking about moving to Montana, remember, it's expensive, it's not transplant-friendly, and there are bears. Lots of bears.