How high is Billings?

Billings sits at 3,123 ft (952 m) above sea level, measured from Copernicus GLO-30 satellite data. That sits below Montana’s average of 4,137 ft (1,261 m) — on the lower side for the state, with about 66% of Montana higher.

Interactive 3D elevation map of the Billings, Montana area, from the Copernicus GLO-30 model

A live 3D slice of the terrain around Billings, from our satellite elevation model. Billings is marked at 3,123 ft (952 m); the highest ground in view reaches 4,970 ft (1,515 m). Drag to spin it (tap to start on mobile).

Billings in Montana

Here’s the useful context: Billings, at 3,123 ft (952 m), sits roughly 1,014 ft (309 m) below Montana’s average elevation of 4,137 ft (1,261 m). Despite its reputation it’s on the lower side for its state — our model puts about 66% of Montana’s land higher than the city.

1,850 ft — Montana low▲ Billings 3,123 ft · avg 4,137 ft ┈12,703 ft — Montana high

The terrain around Billings

Across this view the land rises toward the west. The eastern third of the frame averages about 3,392 ft (1,034 m); the western third about 3,937 ft (1,200 m) — a climb of roughly 545 ft (166 m), topping out near 4,970 ft (1,515 m) at the edge of the frame. That is the mountain front Billings sits against.

You can read the whole story in the map above — the flatter ground where the city sits, and the way the land gathers into peaks nearby. It’s the difference between where you stand and what you can see from it.

What Billings’s altitude means

At 3,123 ft (952 m), Billings is low enough that altitude barely registers. The air holds close to the oxygen your body expects nearer sea level, so arriving here brings none of the breathlessness or fast dehydration that higher cities do. If altitude is on your mind, this isn’t the place to worry about it.

How Billings compares

Among Montana’s larger cities, Billings is ranked #6 of 10 by elevation. For a familiar yardstick, that puts it well below Denver’s mile-high 5,280 ft (1,609 m).

Helena — 4,049 ft (1,234 m)
Great Falls — 3,333 ft (1,016 m)
Missoula — 3,212 ft (979 m)
Billings — 3,123 ft (952 m)
Kalispell — 2,956 ft (901 m)
Havre — 2,526 ft (770 m)
Miles City — 2,362 ft (720 m)

Billings elevation FAQ

How high is Billings?: Billings’s elevation is about 3,123 ft (952 m) above sea level at the city center, measured from Copernicus GLO-30 satellite data.
Is Billings high or low for Montana?: On the low side. At 3,123 ft (952 m) it sits below Montana’s average of 4,137 ft (1,261 m), with about 66% of the state higher.
Does Billings’s altitude affect visitors?: Not really. At 3,123 ft (952 m), Billings is low enough that the air feels much like it does near sea level.

Explore more

↑ Montana’s full elevation map — the whole state in interactive 3D, with its high and low points and average elevation.
· Blog: Average Elevation by State — where Montana’s 4,137 ft (1,261 m) mean ranks.
· Blog: Elevation vs Altitude — what a city’s elevation figure actually measures.

Billings’s elevation is a native ~30 m windowed-median sample from Copernicus GLO-30 (ESA); the Montana figures are computed across the state from the same model. The 3D view is a fine windowed sample at roughly 220 m resolution, sharp enough to resolve the surrounding ridgelines. Data as of 2026-08-19.