County · Montana

Lake County, Montana

Lake County, Montana. Lake County had 33,392 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 7.2% since 2020, faster than Montana (+5.6%). It holds 24 places (3 cities, villages and boroughs and 21 census-designated) and 10 census tracts. GEOID 30047.

Residents, July 2025 estimate

33,392

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 31,134 · ACS 2020-2024: 32,561

Median household income

$63,360

±$3,063 (90% margin)
Montana: $72,509

Median home value

$421,800

±$19,570 (90% margin)
Montana: $375,800

Median gross rent

$901

±$42 (90% margin)
Montana: $1,081

How many people live in Lake County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 31,134 residents in Lake County. The Census Bureau estimates 33,392 for July 1, 2025, up 7.2% since 2020, faster than Montana (+5.6%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 32,561 over 1,490 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 +827 (32,072)
2021→2022 +729 (32,801)
2022→2023 +405 (33,206)
2023→2024 +177 (33,383)
2024→2025 +9 (33,392)

Lake County in Montana. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Lake County	Montana	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	32,561	1,116,875	+2,548
Households	12,576±252	458,859	+774
Average household size	2.56±0.05	2.37	no clear change
Housing units	16,468±35	528,419	−418

Lake County's population since 2000

From 26,507 in 2000 to 33,392 in 2025: up 26.0%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 26,507
2005 (estimate) 28,023
2010 Census 28,746
2015 (estimate) 29,482
2020 Census 31,134
2025 (estimate) 33,392

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Lake County?

Lake County holds 24 places: 3 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 21 census-designated places. The largest is Polson with 5,653 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Lake County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Polson	city	5,148	5,428±23	$53,418	$356,300	17.5%	100%
Pablo	CDP	2,138	1,632±349	$36,400	$256,700	34.5%	100%
Ronan	city	1,955	2,001±403	$42,298	$225,500	21.6%	100%
St. Ignatius	town	768	977±209	$50,000	$250,000	21.8%	100%
Arlee	CDP	720	812±223	$57,500	$261,400	13.3%	100%
Woods Bay	CDP	676	835±203	$64,091	$512,200	10.5%	100%
Finley Point	CDP	532	479±103	$65,972	$555,100	18.8%	100%
Charlo	CDP	385	306±65	$40,469	$210,800	17.3%	100%
LindisfarneGEOID 3043710	CDP	320	533±225	not published	$653,800	14.3%	100%
Bear DanceGEOID 3004410	CDP	281	220±85	$84,732	$833,300	19.5%	100%
KerrGEOID 3040355	CDP	273	463±217	not published	$558,200	27.9%	100%
JetteGEOID 3039627	CDP	273	218±88	$49,219	$579,900	17.9%	100%
Turtle LakeGEOID 3075287	CDP	251	55±60	not published	not published	10.9%	100%
ElmoGEOID 3024100	CDP	244	290±164	not published	not published	11.7%	100%
Big ArmGEOID 3005800	CDP	218	190±146	not published	not published	50.0%	100%
Kings PointGEOID 3040725	CDP	201	274±106	$75,147	$1,509,100	5.8%	100%
RollinsGEOID 3064075	CDP	192	115±70	$124,063	$1,229,200	10.4%	100%
Rocky PointGEOID 3063940	CDP	111	151±116	not published	$643,800	0.0%	100%
DaytonGEOID 3019525	CDP	104	88±47	$100,313	$1,250,000	6.8%	100%
Swan LakeGEOID 3072850	CDP	102	211±75	$82,679	$576,400	16.1%	100%
RavalliGEOID 3061075	CDP	85	146±119	$78,922	not published	0.0%	100%
Kicking HorseGEOID 3040580	CDP	76	59±93	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Lake Mary RonanGEOID 3041910	CDP	53	80±56	$69,583	$692,300	13.8%	100%
NiaradaGEOID 3053725	CDP	28	79±65	not published	$232,500	0.0%	0%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Lake County?

The median resident of Lake County is 44.3 years old; 22.0% are under 18 and 24.2% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 64.6%, then non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native residents at 19.6%. 2.3% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Lake County	Montana	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	44.3±0.3	40.4	+2.0
Under 18 years	22.0%±0.2 pts	21.0%	–
65 years and over	24.2%±0.2 pts	20.1%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	4.3%	4.6%	−0.3 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	64.6%±0.7 pts	83.6%	no clear change
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.1 pts	0.4%	no clear change
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.7%±0.2 pts	0.8%	+0.4 pts
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	19.6%±1.4 pts	5.3%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.1 pts	0.0%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	10.2%±1.4 pts	4.7%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.3%±0.2 pts	0.5%	–
Born outside the United States	2.3%±0.5 pts	2.3%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	6.2%±1.1 pts	4.2%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	9.5%±0.9 pts	9.0%	–
With a disability	15.7%±1.3 pts	14.5%	–
No health insurance coverage	14.5%±1.7 pts	8.6%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	92.9%±1.3 pts	94.6%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	31.5%±1.9 pts	35.2%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	11.0%±1.2 pts	12.0%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	3.5%±0.7 pts	3.7%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Lake County earn?

Half of Lake County's 12,576 households earn less than $63,360 a year (±$3,063), against $72,509 in Montana. In 2015-2019 it was $60,094 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 17.2% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Lake County	Montana	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$63,360±$3,063	$72,509	no clear change
Mean household income	$90,243±$5,508	$98,908	–
Per capita income	$36,177±$2,090	$41,711	+$4,932
People below the poverty line	17.2%±2.3 pts	11.5%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	23.0%±5.7 pts	12.7%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	10.7%±1.3 pts	7.8%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	84.8%±1.7 pts	89.4%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Lake County?

Owners occupy 75.0% of Lake County's occupied homes and renters 25.0%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $421,800 by its owner (±$19,570). The median renter pays $901 a month including utilities, and 34.4% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Lake County	Montana	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$421,800±$19,570	$375,800	+$110,311
Median gross rent	$901±$42	$1,081	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	34.4%±6.0 pts	35.5%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,806±$85	$1,798	–
Owner-occupied homes	75.0%±2.0 pts	69.2%	+3.0 pts
Housing units	16,468±35	528,419	−418
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.1%±0.5 pts	0.9%	–
Rental vacancy rate	4.7%±2.0 pts	5.3%	–
Single-family detached homes	77.9%±1.6 pts	68.8%	–
Mobile homes	10.0%±1.3 pts	9.4%	–
Built 2020 or later	1.2%±0.4 pts	2.3%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	9.7%±1.2 pts	12.8%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Lake County building?

Builders took permits for 76 new housing units across Lake County in 2025 (22 single-family), 2.3 per 1,000 residents.

2019 18 units
2020 44 units
2021 33 units
2022 40 units
2023 11 units
2024 19 units
2025 76 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Lake County get to work?

69.4% of Lake County's workers drive alone and 13.2% work from home. The average trip to work takes 22.9 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 5.7%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Lake County	Montana	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	55.3%±1.7 pts	62.9%	–
Unemployment rate	5.7%±1.3 pts	3.6%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	69.4%±2.5 pts	71.1%	–
Carpooled	12.4%±2.0 pts	9.7%	–
Public transportation	0.2%±0.2 pts	0.6%	–
Walked	2.9%±0.7 pts	3.9%	–
Worked from home	13.2%±1.7 pts	12.5%	+5.3 pts
Mean travel time to work	22.9 min±1.6	19.1 min	+3.6 min

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Lake County's census tracts?

Lake County is divided into 10 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $52,404 (Tract 9403.04) to $90,903 (Tract 2).

Census tracts of Lake County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 130047000100	Swan Lake (6%)	1,565	1,685±191	$83,125	$662,000	$2,545	6.9%
Tract 230047000200	Woods Bay (11%)	1,750	1,759±273	$90,903	$633,000	$1,298	12.5%
Tract 9403.0430047940304	Polson (40%)	1,932	2,208±312	$52,404	$471,700	$789	18.8%
Tract 9403.0530047940305	Polson (50%)	3,730	3,478±391	$65,229	$429,300	$1,034	9.0%
Tract 9403.0630047940306	Lindisfarne (7%)	3,010	3,135±328	$71,875	$464,200	$1,003	17.7%
Tract 9403.0730047940307	Polson (42%)	3,449	3,792±400	$74,191	$470,700	$837	14.7%
Tract 940430047940400	Pablo (40%)	3,993	3,896±488	$55,750	$344,400	$805	28.5%
Tract 940530047940500	Ronan (35%)	5,326	5,324±412	$60,525	$306,700	$960	20.7%
Tract 940630047940600	St. Ignatius (13%)	4,321	4,692±367	$56,821	$309,200	$743	16.9%
Tract 940730047940700	Arlee (25%)	2,058	2,592±292	$63,125	$367,600	$893	17.1%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Lake County compare with Montana's other counties?

Lake County's rank among Montana's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	9th of 56
Growth 2020-2025	15th of 56
Residents per square mile	6th of 56
Median household income	32nd of 56
Median home value	9th of 56
Median gross rent	19th of 56
Poverty rate	11th of 56
Bachelor's degree or higher	14th of 56
Median age	29th of 56

Every county in Montana

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Lake County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.