Vehicles
Montana had about 1.5 registered vehicles per licensed driver in 2023, and roughly 1.35 million vehicles registered statewide, reflecting heavy reliance on trucks for rural travel.
Households without a vehicle
2006–2024Census American Community Survey 1-year estimates, B08201 (2020 not released).
| Indicator | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicles per household | 2.1 | 1.88 |
- •Montana has one of the highest per-capita truck ownership rates in the U.S.
Public Transit
Public transit ridership in Montana remains very low, with less than 0.5% of workers commuting by transit in 2023, reflecting limited fixed-route service concentrated in Missoula and Billings.
Workers commuting by public transit
2006–2024Census American Community Survey 1-year estimates, share of workers 16+, B08301 (2020 not released).
| Indicator | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Share of commuters using transit (%) | 0.4 | 3.1 |
- •Missoula's Mountain Line is one of the only zero-fare transit systems in the country.
Airports
Montana has 8 major commercial airports served by the Big Sky Airport network, with Billings Logan International handling the most passenger traffic at over 1 million enplanements in 2023.
Passengers boarded at all commercial airports in Montana
2011–2025FAA Air Carrier Activity Information System, calendar-year commercial-service enplanements.
Passengers boarded at Bozeman Yellowstone International (BZN)
2011–2025FAA calendar-year enplanements.
| Indicator | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial airports per state | 8 | 6.5 |
- •Bozeman Yellowstone International is now Montana's busiest airport, surpassing Billings due to tourism growth.
Traffic
Montana traffic congestion remains minimal statewide, with Billings and Missoula being the only metro areas experiencing noticeable peak-hour delays, averaging under 10 hours of annual delay per driver.
Traffic fatalities
1994–2024NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), State Traffic Data.
Fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles
1994–2024NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), State Traffic Data.
| Indicator | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Traffic fatality rate per 100M VMT | 1.9 | 1.35 |
- •Montana's fatality rate per mile driven is among the highest in the nation despite light congestion.
Commuting Patterns
Montana's average commute time was about 19.2 minutes in 2023, among the shortest in the nation, with roughly 78% of workers driving alone.
Mean travel time to work
2006–2024Census American Community Survey 1-year estimates, aggregate travel time ÷ workers not working at home, B08013/B08012 (2020 not released).
Workers who drive alone
2006–2024Census American Community Survey 1-year estimates, share of workers 16+, B08301 (2020 not released).
Workers who work from home
2006–2024Census American Community Survey 1-year estimates, share of workers 16+, B08301 (2020 not released).
| Indicator | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Mean commute time (minutes) | 19.2 | 26.7 |
- •Montana has one of the shortest average commute times in the entire country.
Infrastructure
Montana maintains about 73,000 miles of public roads, including a large share of the Interstate system relative to population, with roughly 7% of bridges rated structurally deficient in 2023.
Bridges in poor condition
2000–2025FHWA National Bridge Inventory, Bridge Condition by Highway System (as of June each year).
Bridges in good condition
2000–2025FHWA National Bridge Inventory, Bridge Condition by Highway System (as of June each year).
Total highway bridges
2000–2025FHWA National Bridge Inventory, Bridge Condition by Highway System (as of June each year).
Vehicle miles traveled
1994–2024FHWA vehicle miles traveled as published with NHTSA FARS (fatalities ÷ fatality rate per 100M VMT).
| Indicator | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Structurally deficient bridges (%) | 7 | 6.8 |
- •Montana has more Interstate highway miles per resident than almost any other state.