Living in Stevensville, MT

Ravalli County

Stevensville is a real, historic town in the northern Bitterroot Valley, Ravalli County -- Montana's oldest permanently-settled non-indigenous community, anchored by the real St. Mary's Mission (founded 1841, the first permanent non-indigenous settlement in what became Montana, National Register-listed in 1970). This record discloses a real, disclosed cross-source contradiction in Stevensville's population trend rather than picking the most flattering figure: one 2026 projection cited approximately 2,346 (implying continued growth from a confirmed ~2,015 at the 2020 Census), while a second source's own stated methodology implies an actual recent population DECLINE (-2.4%, 2019-2024). Housing runs genuinely expensive (Zillow's ~$619,753 average value, though this record discloses a real ZIP-vs-town scope caveat on that figure), even amid a described late-2025 'buyer's market' with expanding inventory. Property taxes run genuinely favorable (~0.58% effective rate, below both national and Montana averages). Stevensville's crime rate runs genuinely favorable (cited ~62.7% below the national average), and its economy is genuinely transitioning from an agrarian base toward a more diverse service- and remote-work-based community, part of the broader western-Montana growth corridor south of Missoula. Stevensville has no hospital of its own, relying on Hamilton's Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital approximately 12 miles south.

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Housing

Median sale price$795,000

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate0.58%

Not independently sourced at the Ravalli 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 Stevensville-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

A genuine, distinctive historic identity as Montana's oldest permanently-settled non-indigenous community, anchored by the real St. Mary's Mission. A genuinely favorable crime rate (cited 62.7% below the national average) and a favorable property tax rate. A modestly above-state-average school graduation rate (91%). Genuine Bitterroot Valley mountain access and a real, disclosed transition toward a more diverse, remote-work-friendly local economy.

Cons

Housing costs run genuinely expensive relative to the national median, though with a real, disclosed ZIP-vs-town scope caveat on the cited figure. A real, disclosed, unresolved contradiction in Stevensville's population growth trend across sources this record does not paper over. A real, disclosed significant wildfire hazard shared with the broader Bitterroot Valley (99% high-exposure risk per this project's Hamilton record). No hospital within Stevensville itself -- the nearest hospital sits approximately 12 miles south in Hamilton.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits families and small-town-living movers drawn to Stevensville's genuinely favorable crime rate and distinctive historic identity, and remote workers seeking Bitterroot Valley mountain access within the broader growth corridor south of Missoula.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers seeking Montana's most affordable housing or a clearly resolved population-growth trend -- Stevensville's own cited housing figures run well above the national median, and this record's sources genuinely disagree on whether the town is currently growing or declining. Those highly wildfire-risk-averse or requiring in-town hospital access should also weigh this record's disclosed hazard profile and healthcare gap directly.

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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.