Montana Population and Demographics

Are you tired of spending 10+ hours searching for demographic and population data for Montana? We have all of the data you need by state, county, city, and zip code that will save you many hours of research!

In this article, we'll explore most of the 190+ data points we have for Montana, covering popular demographics statistics like household income, race, age and gender, educational attainment, poverty, housing, and transportation.

The data on this page is from the 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey from the US Census Bureau.

Richest Zip Codes in Montana

In the table below, we've ranked the richest zip codes in Montana based on the average (or mean) household income. To do this, we only look at zip codes that have a population of at least 500 people and a reasonable margin of error for the data.

If the margin of error for the mean income is greater than 50% of the estimate, we don't use it. This is to try and make the data less likely to be skewed by outliers with very small population areas or estimates that are not very accurate.

Rank ZIP Code County Mean Income
1 59106 Yellowstone County $169,582.00
2 59344 Fallon County $142,093.00
3 59803 Missoula County $138,111.00
4 59468 Cascade County, Teton County $134,129.00
5 59001 Carbon County, Stillwater County $131,792.00
6 59634 Jefferson County $131,535.00
7 59716 Gallatin County, Madison County $130,376.00
8 59430 Fergus County, Judith Basin County $127,598.00
9 59715 Gallatin County, Park County $125,796.00
10 59718 Gallatin County $119,487.00

To view details demographics data for a specific zip code, click on the link in the table above. You can also read our article here on the richest zip codes in Montana.

Richest Cities in Montana

We can also find the same information for the richest cities in Montana. The table below ranks the top 10 cities in Montana by average household income by using the same criteria as we did with the zip codes.

Rank City County Mean Income
1 Whitefish Flathead County $120,009.00
2 Bozeman Gallatin County $106,862.00
3 Belgrade Gallatin County $103,860.00
4 Plentywood Sheridan County $103,143.00
5 Cedar Black Hawk County $98,030.00
6 Culbertson Roosevelt County $96,772.00
7 Billings Yellowstone County $95,066.00
8 Baker Fallon County $94,094.00
9 Colstrip Rosebud County $93,118.00
10 Manhattan Gallatin County $90,517.00

To view details demographics data for a specific city, click on the link in the table above. You can also read our article here on the richest cities in Montana.

Median Household Income

According to the latest ACS 5-year survey in 2022, the median household income in Montana is $66,341.00.

The chart below shows the average household income by age in Montana.

  • Under 25
    $38,257.00
  • 25 to 44
    $77,250.00
  • 45 to 64
    $78,432.00
  • 65 and over
    $50,694.00

Average Household Income

A very commonly asked question is "what is the average household income in Montana?". The official term for the average household income is the mean household income. The mean household income is the total income of all households divided by the number of households.

The average (or mean) household income in Montana is $90,142.00.

7.19% of households in Montana are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

The difference between a median and an average income

The difference between a median and mean household income is that the median income is the middle point of the set of numbers whereas the mean income is an average of all numbers.

Both metrics are important when looking at the income statistics for Montana but because the median value doesn't depend on other numbers in the dataset, it doesn't change as much when some of the values are extremely low or extremely high.

Household Income Tiers for Montana

We can also look at the household income tiers. This lets you see how many households fall into each of the earnings brackets and what percentage that bracket is of the total number of households.

The chart below shows the household income brackets to see which age groups have the highest median income. The actual data is more granular than these brackets, but we've simplified them into bigger categories to make reviewing the data for Montana easier to view.

You can purchase the raw data above, which will have the full income tiers with smaller jumps in household income.

  • Less than $24,999
    16.65%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    21.20%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    18.30%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    13.69%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    15.91%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    7.05%
  • $200,000 or more
    7.19%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income is the average income of all people in Montana. This is calculated by dividing the total income of all people in Montana by the total number of people in Montana.

It differs from the average or mean household income because it includes all people in Montana and not just the people who earn an income (i.e. children, retirees, unemployed, etc.).

The per capita income in Montana is $37,837.00.

Population in Montana by Race and Ethnicity

The total population in Montana is currently 1,091,840 people.

The race and ethnicity of the population in Montana can be very important for social research, economics, and marketing to a multi-culturial society.

Whether you want to target products or services to a particular race or ethnicity, or provide housing and new businesses to improve areas with a larger ethnic minority population, this data is very valuable for discovering suitable areas.

The chart below breaks down the population and percentage for each race and ethnicity in Montana.

  • 1.10% White
    12,007
  • 95.80% Black/African American
    1,045,959
  • 84.60% Native
    923,663
  • 3.00% Hispanic
    32,232
  • 0.50% Asian
    5,248
  • 5.60% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
    61,081
  • 0.10% Two or more races
    658
  • 0.80% Other
    9,002

Population of Montana by Age and Gender

Another very important demographics statistic for Montana is the age and gender of the population. The age and gender of the population can be used to track trends in population growth or decline, and for businesses, the data can be used to identify people important to you and your business need.

In the table below, we show age groups at a 10 year granularity for ease of use. The raw data, which can be purchased above, includes age and gender at a 5 year granularity.

Age Group Male Female
0 to 9 Years 63,037 59,256
10 to 19 Years 71,026 65,948
20 to 29 Years 75,982 69,062
30 to 39 Years 72,306 67,772
40 to 49 Years 64,864 61,085
50 to 59 Years 65,792 65,435
60 to 69 Years 74,336 76,749
70 Years and over 66,373 72,817

Education Levels

Educational attainment is a very useful statistic that can give insights into other data such as the average household income, unemployment levels, and literacy.

What this means is that it is likely for areas that have higher levels of education to have higher average household incomes, lower unemployment rates, and higher literacy rates.

The chart below shows the educational attainment of the population in Montana.

  • Master's degree or higher
    12.68%
  • Bachelor's degree
    36.44%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    11.54%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    37.43%
  • Less than high school diploma
    1.91%

Unemployment Rates

The unemployment rate is the percentage of the population that is actively looking for work but is unable to find a job. The unemployment rate is a very important statistic for Montana because it can show how many people are actively looking for work and how many people are unable to find a job.

Lower levels of unemployment is generally seen as a positive sign for the economy. It also makes the government in Montana look good because it shows that they are doing a good job of creating jobs, working to capacity, being efficient, and keeping the economy strong.

The unemployment rate is calculated using the total population in Montana that are over the age of 16.

The current population in Montana that are over the age of 16 is 887,607 people.

The unemployment rate in Montana is 3.90%, which means 21,635 people are unemployed.

Median Age in Montana

The median age is an interesting metric because it gives us an idea of the age distribution of people in Montana. You know when you see a median age that it is the age where half of the population is older and half is younger than it.

For demographic studies, this can be used to infer and compare date to things such as birth rates, the age of parents, and so on.

An increasing median age can be a sign of an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population. This is because older people tend to have fewer children and die more often than younger people.

The median age in Montana is 40.1 years old.

We can also look at the median age by gender to compare the see how each group compares to the total median age:

Median age by gender in Montana

40.1

Total

39.2

Male

41

Female

Households and Families

There are a total of 443,917 households in Montana, and the average household size is 2.39 people.

For families, the total number is 270,427, and the average family size is 3.01 people.

7.30% of those families in Montana are living below the poverty line.

The table below shows the poverty thresholds for Montana in .

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Please note that the poverty thresholds shown above are from , while the latest demographics data we have is from 2022.

Households and Families by Marital Status

There are four types of household and family, as defined by the Census Bureau:

  • Married-couple
  • Male householder, no spouse present
  • Female householder, no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

In the table below, you can see the total households and families in Montana for each type, as well as the average sizes.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 216,250 19,410 34,767 173,490
Average Household Size 3.02 3.31 3.45 1.3
Total Families 216,250 19,410 34,767 0
Average Household Size 2.99 2.89 3.18 0

Housing Data in Montana

There are total of 517,430 housing units in Montana. Of those units, 443,917 (85.79%) are occupied, and 73,513 (14.21%) are vacant.

Rental Rates

Of the 517,430 housing units in Montana, 126,027 (24.36%) are occupied by renters. The median rent paid by renters is $974.00.

Owner occupied housing units make up the remaining 59.22% of housing units, with 306,432 housing units in total.

The table below breaks down how much rent is paid by renters in Montana.

  • No rent paid
    11,458
  • Less than $500
    13,457
  • $500 to $999
    52,470
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    38,273
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    13,970
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    4,930
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    1,269
  • $3,000 or more
    1,658

Property Values

The median value of a property in Montana is $305,700.00.

The table below breaks down the range of valuations for all properties in Montana.

  • Less than $50,000
    19,454
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    16,776
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    19,811
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    27,407
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    66,788
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    89,552
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    52,867
  • $1,000,000 or more
    13,777

Property Age

We can also look at the number of properties built in a given year to see the spread of property age in Montana.

  • 1939 or earlier
    67,711
  • 1940 to 1949
    22,931
  • 1950 to 1959
    44,672
  • 1960 to 1969
    41,757
  • 1970 to 1979
    86,000
  • 1980 to 1989
    56,721
  • 1990 to 1999
    68,264
  • 2000 to 2009
    73,758
  • 2010 to 2013
    51,895
  • 2014 or later
    3,721

Vehicles Available per Household

Finally, we have data on how many vehicles each household in Montana has. The table below breaks down the number of vehicles available per household.

  • No vehicles available
    20,609
  • 1 vehicle available
    120,565
  • 2 vehicles available
    164,525
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    138,218

Commuting to Work in Montana

The time and means of commuting to work are useful metrics to look at because they can be correlated against other data such as income and education level.

Does a longer commuting time indicate a higher average income? If so, has the huge increase in home working during the pandemic changed this?

Using these metrics, we can get a better understanding of the demographics of Montana, how they commute, and how that correlates to other data points.

The average travel time is 18.8 minutes, and the chart below covers the range of travel times across the population of Montana.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    33,539
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    88,474
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    92,305
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    88,881
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    57,997
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    20,559
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    39,686
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    6,635
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    6,237
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    15,197
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    12,246
  • 90 or more minutes
    9,217

We can also look at the means of transport in Montana to see which modes of transport people are using to commute to work.

  • Drove alone
    383,039
  • Carpooled
    50,634
  • Public transportation
    3,525
  • Walked
    21,967
  • Other means
    11,808
  • Worked from home
    55,996

Conclusion

Hopefully this article has given you the demographics data you were looking for in Montana.

If you need more demographics data, or you need the data listed above in spreadsheet form with more granular grouping, head back to the top of this page where you can purchase the complete demographics data for Montana.

Link To or Reference This Page

We spent a lot of time downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

  • "Montana Population and Demographics". NameCensus.com. Accessed on April 24, 2024. https://namecensus.com/demographics/montana/.

  • "Montana Population and Demographics". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/demographics/montana/. Accessed 24 April, 2024

  • Montana Population and Demographics. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from https://namecensus.com/demographics/montana/.