At 10.4%, the uninsured rate among under-65 residents in Yellowstone County is effectively the Montana average of 11.1% — about 14,225 people out of 136,958. It is the 10th lowest of the 56 counties in Montana. A county sitting on its state's average is the most ordinary case there is, which makes the state's own rules the thing worth reading rather than anything local.
Yellowstone County against Montana, and against the counties we cover
| Yellowstone County | Montana | Covered counties | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uninsured, under 65 | 10.4% | 11.1% | 13.0% |
| Marketplace enrollees per 1,000 | 60 | — | 127 |
| Insurers selling here | 3 | 3 (median) | 5 |
| Individual plans offered | 42 | — | 84 |
State uninsured rate from the Census SAHIE series; the final column is the median across the 104 counties covered on this site. Enrollment density is CMS plan selections per 1,000 under-65 residents.
What you can actually buy here
3 insurers compete here. That is thin enough that switching carrier usually means switching hospital system too, and wide enough that the premiums genuinely differ. Both things are worth checking before either is dismissed. Between them they offer 42 plans, about 14 for each insurer, a short list by national standards. Short lists are easier to compare properly, which is a real advantage as long as one of them fits your doctors. The count is up from 2 last year. Insurers entering a county usually means they like what they see in the risk pool, and it tends to show up as more aggressive pricing the following year rather than immediately.
8,221 marketplace plan selections were recorded in Yellowstone County for 2026 — only 60 per thousand under-65 residents, against a typical 127 across the counties covered here. Employer coverage dominates locally, which has a specific consequence: when it goes, fewer people around you have any experience of what to do next. 1,221 of them were new consumers and 7,000 were renewals — a 15% new share, close to the national pattern. Roughly one in six enrollees here arrived within the year.
Nearest counties on coverage
The counties we cover in Montana whose uninsured rate sits closest to Yellowstone County. Worth a look if you are comparing across a county line or moving.
| County | Uninsured | Insurers | Enrollees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missoula County | 9.2% | 3 | 8,221 |
| Gallatin County | 8.9% | 3 | 11,092 |
Everything that applies in Montana · How COBRA works · Work out your COBRA premium · After a job ends
Common questions
How many people are uninsured in Yellowstone County?
About 14,225 people under 65, out of 136,958 in that age group — 10.4%, the 10th lowest of the 56 counties in Montana. The Montana average is 11.1%. Census Bureau estimates for 2024, the most recent published.
How many health insurers sell in Yellowstone County?
3 insurers offer individual marketplace plans in Yellowstone County for 2026, up from 2 the year before, and between them they sell 42 individual medical plans. The median across the counties covered on this site is 5 insurers and 84 plans.
How many people in Yellowstone County buy marketplace coverage?
8,221 plan selections for 2026 — 1,221 new consumers and 7,000 renewals. That works out at 60 per thousand under-65 residents, against a median of 127 across the counties covered here. New consumers are the group most likely to have lost a job during the year.
Talk it through with a licensed agent
Which option is right depends on your state, your income and which doctors you need to keep. A licensed agent can walk through it with you in about eight minutes.
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Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, 2024 (released August 2026)
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2026 Marketplace Open Enrollment County-Level Public Use File
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2026 Service Area Public Use File
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2026 Plan Attributes Public Use File
- U.S. Department of Labor, FAQs on COBRA Continuation Health Coverage for Workers