Montana’s growing population continues to be driven by new neighbors, not new babies. That’s according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2025 estimates released late last month. The state added a little more than 7,000 new residents last year, including around 900 from out of country.

Deaths in Montana continue to outnumber births. The Census Bureau reported last year that seniors outnumber children in Montana – one of only 11 states where that’s the case.

Montana was among the fastest-growing states in the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that trend has stabilized. Last year’s data puts Montana in the bottom half of states for growth.