The lone Billings Costco store on King Ave W first opened it s doors in 1991 (source Billings Gazette). That was 30 years ago and back then the population of Billings was right around 81,000 people, according to US Census data compiled by BiggestUSCities.com. Current population data estimates show Montana s largest city has grown to nearly 110,000 people according to World Population Review, a growth rate of around 19%.
Those population numbers don t really reflect the substantial growth of the outlying communities. Any direction you travel from Billings city limits will reveal population increases over the last three decades. The border between Laurel and Billings continues to blur, as subdivisions replace farmland. The same can be said to the east, as the Shepherd/Huntley areas see more and more homes too.