Yellowstone County, Montana Eviction Risk: Very Low

Yellowstone County carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.2/10 (Low) across its 11 cities, placing it squarely in the middle third of Montana's 56 counties. At rank 37 of 56, 36 Montana eviction laws counties score higher and carry more landlord risk, while 19 score lower, meaning this is a broadly workable market rather than an exceptional one. With a total population of 135,547 and an average rent of $1,129, the county represents one of Montana eviction laws's larger rental economies, and operating conditions here are stable enough to reward careful landlords who understand the local landscape.

The intra-county spread, from a low of 1.7 to a high of 2.7, tells a more precise story than the county average alone. The average rent burden sits at 29.1% of income, and renters make up 34.9% of households. Neither figure signals unusual stress, but both are worth monitoring at the individual city level, since a few smaller communities push noticeably above the county average.

The cities inside Yellowstone County

The county's dominant rental market is Billings eviction risk, population 119,434, with a score of 2.2/10. The overwhelming share of the county's rental inventory sits here, and its low score reflects a relatively stable tenant pool against a backdrop of Montana eviction laws's established court system. Landlords concentrating in Billings eviction risk are operating in the most landlord-favorable environment the county offers.

Risk climbs materially in the smaller communities. Worden and Acton each score 2.3/10, the highest in the county. Laurel (population 7,215) scores 1.9/10, and Lockwood (population 7,181) and Huntley each score 2.3/10. These communities are not high-risk in an absolute sense, but they are measurably less favorable than Billings, and investors acquiring units there should underwrite accordingly. Risk is genuinely hyper-local here: a landlord with units in Billings and units in Worden is operating in two meaningfully different risk environments, separated by only a few miles.

State-level laws that apply here

Montana state law under MCA § 70-24 (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act) sets the procedural framework for every landlord in the county. For non-payment of rent or a lease violation, the required notice period is just 3 days. A no-cause end-of-term notice requires 30 days. Once filed, an uncontested eviction typically concludes in 21 to 45 days; a contested case can run 45 to 120 days. Understanding the full Montana eviction process before you acquire units here is essential, because even a fast-track case carries court filing fees of $90 to $170, sheriff lockout fees of $40 to $125, and attorney fees ranging from $500 to $2,500. Montana eviction costs therefore vary considerably depending on whether a tenant contests the proceeding. On the rent-control front, Montana state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, and no just-cause requirement applies, giving landlords meaningful flexibility when managing tenancy terminations.

With a poverty rate of 11% and renters comprising 34.9% of households, Yellowstone County's fundamentals are moderate across the board; the city-by-city grid above shows how that average distributes across all 11 communities in the county.