Almost 3 in 4 Montanans were concerned about being able to afford housing in the state over the next five years, according to a Montana Free Press-Eagleton Poll.

According to the poll, 2 in 5 Montana households spent more than 30% of their income on rent or mortgage. That means roughly 40% of poll respondents self-identify as cost-burdened, a term defined by the U.S. Census Bureau to describe those whose housing costs exceed that threshold.

Adults under 35 were more likely than those over 50 to feel concerned about being able to afford housing in Montana during the next five years. Roughly 1 in 3 respondents over 65 were “not at all concerned” about the cost of housing in Montana during the next five years. In contrast, 9% of those between 35 and 49 years old were equally unconcerned. That figure dropped to 2% for Montanans under 35.

Montanans put responsibility for housing affordability on different entities, according to the poll. About two-thirds of Republican respondents, and 90% of Democrats, believe both state and local governments bear at least “some responsibility” for ensuring that families have safe and decent housing they can afford. Overall, Montanans identified nonprofits as the least accountable.

Though Montana’s population growth slowed in 2023 and 2024, the state continues to direct efforts toward housing a population that’s increased by 26% since 2000. 

Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte assembled a housing task force in the summer of 2022. Six months later, the group offered suggestions that influenced legislation in the 2023 Legislature. In the summer of 2024, the group endorsed almost two dozen policy recommendations headlined by a proposal to make parking spaces an optional component of new multifamily housing lots. The list also included changes to zoning laws, other parking regulations and building code requirements. 

This legislative session, House Speaker Pro Tempore Katie Zolnikov, R-Billings, has proposed House Bill 492, which if passed would reduce new developments’ mandated parking requirements. Sen. Jeremy Trebas, R-Great Falls, meanwhile, has put forward Senate Bill 266, which also overlaps with recommendations from Gianforte’s task force and would allow triplexes and fourplexes in areas zoned for single-family homes. It would also preemptively block local governments from trying to skirt its statutes permitting multifamily housing in dense areas. 

According to the MTFP-Eagleton Poll, more than half of Montanans were “very dissatisfied” with the state’s handling of cost of living and affordability. Another 1 in 4 were “somewhat dissatisfied.” Similarly, results indicate nearly 50% of residents were also “very dissatisfied” with the state government’s handling of property taxes and more than 1 in 4 were “somewhat dissatisfied.”

In January 2024 Gianforte set up a property tax task force separate from the group aimed at tackling Montana’s struggles with affordable housing. The group recommended a slew of proposals that summer, though the governor has only specifically endorsed a homestead exemption developed by the task force. 

Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, has brought House Bill 231, which would enact a homestead exemption by shifting the tax burden away from primary homes and instead onto second homes and short-term rentals like Airbnb-style units. Democrats have put forward similar policy in House Bill 155, though instead of focusing on drawing a distinction by primary and secondary residence, the legislation would shift the onus to higher-value properties relative to lower-value properties. Senate Bill 90, brought by Sen. Carl Glimm, R-Kila, would utilize the state’s bed tax to create property tax relief. 

Each piece of legislation has passed its chamber of origin.

Zeke Lloyd is a reporter for the Montana Free Press, a nonprofit newsroom, and can be reached at [email protected].