Bozeman, MT

Bozeman’s median household income was $38,649 in 2024 on Data Commons, while Census QuickFacts shows the city had 57,305 people in 2023 and 10.6% age 65+ (Data Commons^[1], Census QuickFacts^[2]). Montana has no general state sales tax on many services and a statewide income tax, but the city-specific tax burden here is mostly driven by local property taxes and higher-than-average living costs, not a city income tax (Montana Department of Revenue^{[3?] (unconfirmed source)}). A current Bozeman-specific groceries index or city-level property tax rate is not given here.

Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital is the main local hospital serving the area, and the city also has regional specialty care infrastructure through the Bozeman Health system (Bozeman Health^{[4?] (unconfirmed source)}). The health system website confirms the local hospital presence, but there is no reliable drive-time figure or verified specialist-count page. Plan specifics change yearly, and retirees should check Medicare.gov directly before deciding (Medicare.gov^{[5?] (unconfirmed source)}).

Bozeman’s climate is humid continental with cold, snowy winters and warm summers; the city’s climate table shows annual precipitation of 19.71 inches and annual snowfall of 86.1 inches (Wikipedia climate table, used only for the numbers in the retrieved source^[6]). The same source shows average July high temperatures around 83.4°F and average January lows around 14.1°F, which supports a summer comfort range for outdoor activity and a winter range that is decidedly cold (Wikipedia climate table^[6]). Bozeman gets up to about 24 inches of precipitation annually, compared with much drier parts of Montana east of the Divide (Bozeman relocation guide^[7]).

Gallatin County has a violent-crime rate of 76.8 per 100,000 residents and a property-crime rate of 105.3 per 100,000, both below national averages on that page (FBI Crime Data via Crime Explorer^[8]). Gallatin County is served by five law-enforcement agencies and has five-year figures for 2019 to 2023 (FBI Crime Data via Crime Explorer^[8]). The county page does not clearly provide a clean three-year trend series, but the county-level snapshot is below the national average.

Bozeman sits in the Bozeman Housing Market Area, which HUD defines as the Bozeman, MT Metropolitan Statistical Area and Gallatin County; in that metro, the average home price was $885,900 in the 12 months ending May 2025 and the average existing-home price was $906,800 (HUD CHMA^[9]). Local market data shows Bozeman’s median listing price at $866,000 with homes spending a median 61 days on market, while Redfin reports a slightly lower median sale price of $664,134 and 65 median days on market, which suggests buyers have more negotiating room than last year even though prices remain elevated (Realtor.com^[10], Redfin^[11]). Bozeman also has active-adult options: Hillcrest Senior Living describes itself as an active adult retirement community in Bozeman, and Seniorly lists The Knolls at Hillcrest as an active adult community with a mid-$300K to mid-$600K price range (Bozeman Health^[12], Seniorly^[13]).

Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, code BZN, is the nearest commercial airport and is in nearby Belgrade, serving Bozeman and the surrounding region (Bozeman Airport^[14]). Bozeman airport has commercial service, but specific nonstop routes are not given here. For retirement planning, BZN is the practical airport for most regional and western travel, while longer itinerary flexibility comes from connecting through larger hubs (Bozeman Airport^[14]).

Bozeman has at least four notable nearby golf options: Bridger Creek Golf Course, Cottonwood Hills Golf Course, Riverside Country Club, and Valley View Golf Club, with Bridger Creek public and Valley View and Riverside private (Bridger Creek^[15], Cottonwood Hills^[16], Riverside Country Club^{[17?] (unconfirmed source)}, Valley View Golf Club^[18]). Bridger Creek’s public course fees are $31 on weekdays for 18 holes and $33 on weekends, while Cottonwood Hills and the private clubs do not list current fee quotes here (Mountain West Golf^[19], Cottonwood Hills^[16], Bridger Creek^[15]). Outdoor recreation is a major strength in Bozeman, with mountain access, skiing, and the trail-heavy Gallatin Valley repeatedly referenced (Visit Montana Bridger Creek listing^[20], Bozeman relocation guide^[7]).

Census QuickFacts gives Bozeman a 2023 population of 57,305, and it shows 10.6% of residents age 65 and over, which is modest for a retirement destination (Census QuickFacts^[2]). Data Commons lists a median age of 28.9 in 2024, underscoring that this is a young, student-and-early-career-heavy city rather than an age-skewed retirement enclave (Data Commons^[1]). The city’s draw is its active, well-kept mountain-town character and access to Montana State University, but it is not a low-key retirement town, and that energy is part of the tradeoff (Census QuickFacts^[2]).

FEMA’s National Risk Index is published at the county level (FEMA NRI^[21]). A county-specific FEMA score page is not given here, so no composite score or top hazards are named for Gallatin County. Bozeman has wildfire-smoke exposure and periodic moderate-air conditions, but a Bozeman-specific EPA county summary page is not given here (Protect My Zip summary referencing AirNow^[22]).