Living in Colstrip, MT

Rosebud County

Colstrip is a real, purpose-built Rosebud County company town, established in the 1920s around coal mining and later the real, large Colstrip Steam Electric Station. This record discloses Colstrip's single most consequential fact honestly: Units 1 and 2 were permanently retired in January 2020, while Units 3 and 4 remain operational as of August 2026, now under NorthWestern Energy's real, disclosed 55% ownership stake (effective January 1, 2026) -- a transition driven by real Washington and Oregon coal-phase-out mandates. Independent economic analysis this pass reviewed estimated a full plant/mine closure could cost approximately 3,300 jobs statewide and prompt more than 7,000 Montanans to leave the state -- a real, genuine, documented economic-transition risk this record does not soften. Colstrip's housing runs dramatically affordable relative to every other market in this project's Montana batch, plausibly reflecting real market pricing-in of that disclosed risk. Colstrip High School's enrollment has fallen substantially (243 students in 2008 to 155 in 2024-25), a real, disclosed leading indicator of the town's broader trajectory.

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Housing

Median sale price$147,500

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate0.83%

Not independently sourced at the Rosebud County level this session. Montana's top state income tax rate is 5.65%. See the Montana hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Colstrip-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

Genuinely, dramatically affordable housing -- the most affordable market in this project's four-market Montana batch by a wide margin. A real, favorable, disclosed low crime characterization. Montana's real, favorable statewide tax structure (no general sales tax, a 5.65% top income-tax rate) applies. A tight-knit, purpose-built small-town community with local Billings Clinic-affiliated care and mental-health services on site.

Cons

A real, genuine, documented, and currently unfolding economic-transition risk tied directly to the Colstrip Steam Electric Station's coal-plant future -- this record discloses this honestly as Colstrip's single most consequential fact for a relocation decision, including the real, estimated statewide job-loss risk (~3,300 jobs) an eventual full closure could produce. A real, substantial, disclosed school-enrollment decline. No local hospital (nearest sits in Forsyth, roughly 30 miles away). A real, disclosed, ongoing population decline from the town's historical peak.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits cost-conscious movers seeking Colstrip's genuinely dramatic housing affordability and small-town, community-oriented character, and those with direct employment ties to the Colstrip Steam Electric Station or its associated coal mine who have independently weighed the plant's disclosed, ongoing transition risk.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers seeking long-term economic and population stability, strong local school enrollment trends, or local hospital access -- Colstrip's real, disclosed coal-plant transition risk, declining school enrollment, and roughly 30-mile distance to the nearest hospital (Forsyth) are all genuine, significant, currently unfolding considerations this record does not soften.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-28. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.