Ranked from NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
Driest Counties in Montana
The least rainfall in the country. Dry is easier on a building than wet, but it moves the cost somewhere else: irrigation, foundation movement in shrink-swell soils, and in the driest counties the price and reliability of water itself. Figures are NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals from the weather station nearest each county seat, so they describe a thirty-year average rather than any single year.
Montana ranked
| # | County | Annual rainfall | FEMA risk rating | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beaverhead County | 10.1" | Relatively Low | $282,000 |
| 2 | Broadwater County | 10.6" | Very Low | $364,800 |
| 3 | Jefferson County | 10.8" | Very Low | $408,000 |
| 4 | Carbon County | 11.5" | Relatively Low | $379,300 |
| 5 | Valley County | 11.8" | Very Low | $198,600 |
| 6 | Powell County | 11.8" | Very Low | $255,700 |
| 7 | Hill County | 11.8" | Relatively Low | $187,600 |
| 8 | Teton County | 11.9" | Very Low | $235,500 |
| 9 | Toole County | 12.1" | Very Low | $187,400 |
| 10 | McCone County | 12.2" | Very Low | $197,400 |
| 11 | Liberty County | 12.3" | Very Low | $116,800 |
| 12 | Pondera County | 12.6" | Very Low | $179,200 |
| 13 | Silver Bow County | 12.8" | Very Low | $223,500 |
| 14 | Chouteau County | 12.8" | Very Low | $185,100 |
| 15 | Custer County | 12.9" | Very Low | $204,200 |
| 16 | Garfield County | 12.9" | Very Low | $178,300 |
| 17 | Meagher County | 13.0" | Very Low | $244,400 |
| 18 | Wheatland County | 13.2" | Very Low | $172,700 |
| 19 | Phillips County | 13.3" | Very Low | $175,000 |
| 20 | Prairie County | 13.4" | Very Low | $167,100 |
| 21 | Gallatin County | 13.4" | Relatively Moderate | $604,900 |
| 22 | Blaine County | 13.5" | Relatively Low | $124,900 |
| 23 | Daniels County | 13.5" | Very Low | $177,800 |
| 24 | Missoula County | 14.1" | Relatively Low | $423,100 |
| 25 | Roosevelt County | 14.2" | Relatively Low | $119,400 |
| 26 | Yellowstone County | 14.4" | Relatively Moderate | $317,600 |
| 27 | Fallon County | 14.6" | Very Low | $237,000 |
| 28 | Petroleum County | 14.6" | Very Low | $173,700 |
| 29 | Sheridan County | 14.7" | Very Low | $111,600 |
| 30 | Cascade County | 14.8" | Relatively Moderate | $243,300 |
| 31 | Musselshell County | 14.9" | Very Low | $221,200 |
| 32 | Dawson County | 14.9" | Relatively Low | $187,400 |
| 33 | Deer Lodge County | 14.9" | Very Low | $209,700 |
| 34 | Powder River County | 14.9" | Very Low | $149,400 |
| 35 | Treasure County | 14.9" | Very Low | $215,300 |
| 36 | Lake County | 15.0" | Relatively Low | $369,200 |
| 37 | Ravalli County | 15.1" | Relatively Low | $435,000 |
| 38 | Richland County | 15.5" | Relatively Low | $259,000 |
| 39 | Stillwater County | 15.5" | Very Low | $355,600 |
| 40 | Madison County | 15.7" | Very Low | $440,500 |
| 41 | Carter County | 15.7" | Very Low | $176,600 |
| 42 | Rosebud County | 16.0" | Relatively Low | $188,900 |
| 43 | Wibaux County | 16.1" | Very Low | $92,300 |
| 44 | Park County | 16.3" | Relatively Low | $429,700 |
| 45 | Mineral County | 16.4" | Very Low | $313,600 |
| 46 | Big Horn County | 16.5" | Relatively Low | $148,200 |
| 47 | Granite County | 16.5" | Very Low | $339,500 |
| 48 | Judith Basin County | 16.8" | Very Low | $214,200 |
| 49 | Sweet Grass County | 16.9" | Very Low | $295,500 |
| 50 | Lewis and Clark County | 17.1" | Relatively Low | $358,200 |
| 51 | Fergus County | 17.2" | Relatively Low | $202,700 |
| 52 | Golden Valley County | 17.2" | Very Low | $203,900 |
| 53 | Lincoln County | 19.1" | Relatively Low | $258,700 |
| 54 | Sanders County | 22.3" | Relatively Low | $323,800 |
| 55 | Glacier County | 26.1" | Relatively Low | $153,400 |
| 56 | Flathead County | 34.6" | Relatively Moderate | $467,700 |
Every figure is modelled on the county's own median home with 20% down at 7.03%. Property tax and electricity are county and state specific; homeowners insurance uses the NAIC average premium for that state, which ranges from 0.16% of home value in Hawaii to 1.16% in Oklahoma. Maintenance and water are national estimates. Full methodology.
Nationwide
Driest Counties across all 3,133 US counties · Every county in Montana