Montana Ranks Near Bottom in AI Chatbot Searches

A CrowdReply analysis of 12 months of Google data points to rural internet access as one possible factor.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a lone steel cell tower on open grassland under a warm sky, with a distant mountain ridgeline. — CrowdReply's analysis of 12 months of Google searches ranked Montana 48th of 50 states for AI chatbot search activity, with rural internet access cited as a possible factor. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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CrowdReply analyzed monthly Google searches for AI chatbots in every state over the past 12 months and ranked Montana 48th of 50 states. The study measured AI-related search activity per 100,000 residents, with Montana averaging 24,515.72 such searches. This is a search-activity measurement, not a product or capability, so it reflects observed user behavior rather than any deployed technology.

Why it matters

The ranking gives a geographic view of how consumers are engaging with AI chatbots, a signal that matters for companies deciding where to focus outreach and infrastructure. Connectivity may be part of the gap, since internet access remains uneven in rural Montana.

The study counted Google searches for individual AI chatbots in each state and normalized them to searches per 100,000 residents so states of different population sizes can be compared. Montana's 24,515.72 average sits well below New York's 52,486.78, but the search data alone cannot show whether the gap reflects usage, interest, or access.

The players

CrowdReply

CrowdReply is a marketing and social-engagement company that conducted the state-by-state analysis of AI chatbot search activity.

The details

CrowdReply tallied how often residents searched Google for AI chatbots, state by state, each month across a year. Dividing those counts by population turns raw search volume into a per-100,000-resident rate, which lets a small state like Montana be compared fairly with a large one like New York. Search volume is a proxy for interest rather than confirmed use, so the rankings describe where people are looking for these tools.

Over the past 12 months, CrowdReply collected monthly Google search data for AI chatbots in every state.
The ranking was published November 2, 2026.

The Tech Race

CrowdReply's analysis ranks states by AI chatbot search activity, with New York at the top and South Dakota, West Virginia and Montana at the bottom. The ranking is a single-source measurement of consumer search interest and does not by itself indicate where AI development or deployment is concentrated.

For Montana residents, the ranking reflects how often people search for AI chatbots relative to other states, not whether they can use the tools. The study does not report pricing or availability changes, and internet access remains a challenge in some rural areas.

The takeaway

Montana's low ranking suggests that connectivity and rural access may shape how residents engage with AI tools, a question worth tracking as Starlink and TDS fiber and Spectrum expand service. Watch whether follow-up searches or usage data confirm the gap.