Montana has been crowned the friendliest state in America, at least according to a SmartAsset analysis of federal time-use data. The study leaned on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' American Time Use Survey and scored all 50 states on three daily habits: minutes spent socialising, volunteering, and helping people outside their own homes. The logic is simple — how residents spend their downtime shapes how welcoming a place feels.

Big Sky Country came out on top with a combined total of 94.9 minutes a day of these friendly behaviours: 43.4 minutes socialising, 35.6 volunteering, and 15.9 helping others. That edged out second-place Utah by just 3.2 minutes.

Anecdotal evidence backs the numbers, too. One traveller from the American South recounted on Reddit how, after sliding off a snowy Montana road, complete strangers dug out their SUV within about 90 minutes and refused anything but a handshake in return. Others describe the state as both the most beautiful and the nicest they've visited.

But the picture isn't uniformly warm. Other rankings disagree — World Population Review's 2026 list, built on tourist commentary, put Montana 36th and openly calls its own method anecdotal and unscientific. More seriously, some visitors and new residents report a real anti-outsider streak, which locals often attribute to resentment over rising costs pushed up by arrivals drawn to the scenery.

Montana is also one of the least racially diverse states in the country, ahead of only New Hampshire, Vermont, West Virginia and Maine. Black travel bloggers note that people of colour should expect to stand out and get stares, though also plenty of kindness. It's not a leading destination for LGBTQ+ travellers either; like several other conservative states, Montana has a legislative history that can make queer visitors feel less welcome.

So what's the takeaway for travellers? If you're headed to Montana for Glacier or Yellowstone country, the odds are good you'll encounter genuinely warm, helpful people — the roadside-rescue stories are common for a reason. Just go in with realistic expectations: friendliness here can come with a live-and-let-live reserve, especially in small towns wary of tourism's side effects. Travellers of colour and LGBTQ+ visitors may want to do a little extra research on specific towns before booking.

For everyone else, the state's real draw remains what it has always been: enormous skies, superb hiking, and people who will still stop to help you out of a snowdrift. Just remember the first rule of Montana travel — thank the stranger who pulls you out, and maybe carry a shovel of your own.

Story via Explore.com.