Lake County, Montana
Population 32,561 · Polson, Ronan, St. Ignatius
- Overall cost of living: −8.4% vs the US average, higher than 63% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- Sunny days / yr: 151 days, lower than 96% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−8.4% | higher than 63% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Montana outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $421,800 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Median rent | $901 | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $138/mo | lower than 84% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $10,482/yr | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.61% | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| State income tax | 5.9% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $2,561 | higher than 77% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $63,360 | lower than 56% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4% | higher than 49% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +8.3% | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 248.1 | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈151 days | lower than 96% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 83°F | lower than 75% of US counties |
| January low | 21°F | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 34 in | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 18 days | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 152 days | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 16.2% of weeks | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈46.1°F | lower than 92% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 16.9 in | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $177/yr | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $90/yr | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $62/yr | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $0.01/yr | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $22/yr | higher than 90% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 8.8 µg/m³ | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 379.9 mi | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈5,576.6 ft | higher than 96% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 92.9% | higher than 74% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 31.5% | higher than 79% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 11% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 1 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 13.5:1 | lower than 54% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 83.2% | lower than 80% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 7.61 | lower than 58% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.63 | lower than 60% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.66 | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 0.7 | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 79/100k | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 2 | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | N/A | |
| Life expectancy | 76.1 yrs | higher than 55% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 13.5% | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 323/100k | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 75/100k | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 62.8% | lower than 52% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 73 min | higher than 72% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 165 min | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 23 min | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 84.8% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.2% | higher than 45% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 13.2% | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 475 min | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 18 per sq mi | lower than 56% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 4.5 per 1k | higher than 87% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 10.7 per 1k | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Population | 32,561 | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Median age | 44.3 | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +15.4 per 1k/yr | higher than 90% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 38.5% Dem | higher than 71% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 58.4% Rep | lower than 75% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 3.1% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| % White | 64.6% | lower than 71% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 4.3% | lower than 56% of US counties |
| % Black | 0.2% | lower than 88% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.7% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 19.6% | higher than 98% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.2% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 10.2% | higher than 98% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.3% | higher than 46% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 245 parks | higher than 79% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 16.9 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 7.7 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | Dark here | the lowest in the US |
| Lakes & rivers | 9.9% | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 5 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 5 | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 274 km | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 4 | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 13 | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 3 | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 4 | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 43 km | higher than 71% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data