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COUNTY

Lake County

Montana · 33,392 residents (2025 est.) · 1,490 sq mi
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The short version

With 32,561 people, Lake County is a county in Montana. At a median age of 44.3, this is an older place than the country as a whole. The foreign-born share is 2%. There are 22 people per square mile. 75% of homes are owner-occupied. The population is up 23% since 2000.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 44.3
US median: 38.9
Average education
32% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 92%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
32,561
+23%since 2000
from 26,507 in 2000
33,392 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
22 / sq mi
+15%since 2009
from 19 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
44.3
+16%since 2000
from 38.2 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
1,490 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
20K23K27K30K34K19902000201020202024Lake County
202433K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.9%(1,587)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.9%(1,930)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.9%(2,237)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.1%(1,970)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.4%(1,748)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3410.4%(3,387)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.5%(3,731)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5410.7%(3,475)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.1%(4,602)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7414.6%(4,768)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 847.6%(2,488)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2%(638)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$63,360
+21%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $28,740 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$36,177
+138%since 2000
from $15,173 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
43.0%
+24.5 ptssince 2009
from 18.5% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
17.2%
−1.4 ptssince 2000
from 18.7% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.502
+17%since 2010
from 0.430 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information12.3%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade8%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services5.9%
US avg: 6.7%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing5.7%
US avg: 1.6%
Retail trade5.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Construction4.7%
US avg: 1.2%
Finance & insurance3.9%
US avg: 5.9%
Public administration3.6%
US avg: 4.8%
Professional, scientific, technical3.3%
US avg: 5.1%
Arts, entertainment, food2.8%
US avg: 1.9%
Manufacturing1%
US avg: 0.4%
Transportation & warehousing1%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services0.6%
US avg: 0.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$421,800
+92%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $120,900 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$901
+23%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $403 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
75.0%
+3.6 ptssince 2000
from 71.4% in 2000
25.0% rent
Vacancy rate
23.6%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 23.8% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.56 people
−2%since 2009
from 2.60 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
28.3%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 27.8% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
35.3%
+4.0 ptssince 2009
from 31.3% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
6.7
+40%since 2009
from 4.8 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
77
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic70.6%(18,704)
Black0.1%(30)
Hispanic / Latino2.5%(668)
Asian0.3%(69)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic64.6%(21,037)
Black0.2%(71)
Hispanic / Latino4.3%(1,397)
Asian0.7%(215)
Other30.2%(9,841)
Diversity Score
61
+12%since 2009
from 55 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
25
+5%since 2020
from 24 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican3.2%(1,046)
Spaniard0.3%(82)
Peruvian0.1%(44)
Ecuadorian0.1%(33)
Puerto Rican0.1%(29)
Dominican0.1%(28)
Cuban0%(7)
Asian origin
Filipino0.4%(115)
Japanese0.1%(35)
Asian Indian0.1%(29)
Sri Lankan0.1%(17)
Korean0%(15)
Chinese0%(7)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(7)
Tongan0%(5)
Fijian0%(5)
Ancestry
German17.1%(5,553)
English13.9%(4,540)
Irish11.1%(3,602)
Norwegian5.3%(1,725)
American5%(1,624)
Italian2.5%(801)
Scottish2.5%(801)
French2.4%(767)
Swedish2%(639)
Polish1.5%(495)
Danish1.3%(428)
Dutch1.3%(411)
+ 30 more ancestry groups with data
Scotch-Irish1.2%(401)
Russian0.6%(193)
British0.4%(140)
Arab0.4%(137)
Czech0.4%(136)
Lebanese0.4%(130)
Welsh0.4%(117)
Swiss0.3%(94)
Greek0.3%(83)
Australian0.2%(76)
Finnish0.2%(70)
Austrian0.2%(62)
Canadian0.2%(58)
Portuguese0.2%(50)
Slovak0.1%(38)
Belgian0.1%(26)
Iranian0.1%(20)
Ukrainian0.1%(19)
West Indian0.1%(19)
Croatian0%(14)
Haitian0%(10)
Serbian0%(8)
Latvian0%(3)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
31.5%
+9.3 ptssince 2000
from 22.2% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
92.9%
+8.6 ptssince 2000
from 84.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
11.0%
+4.5 ptssince 2000
from 6.6% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
22.9 min
+73%since 2000
from 13.2 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
69.4%
−4.7 ptssince 2009
from 74.1% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
12.4%
+3.5 ptssince 2009
from 8.9% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
13.2%
+4.1 ptssince 2009
from 9.1% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.9%
−2.8 ptssince 2009
from 5.7% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.6%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.8% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
4.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 4.8% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.7%
−6.0 ptssince 2011
from 11.7% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
55.3%
−4.0 ptssince 2011
from 59.2% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
67.9%
−1.8 ptssince 2020
from 69.7% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
15.5%
−6.3 ptssince 2009
from 21.8% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
39.9%
+7.4 ptssince 2009
from 32.5% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.4%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 48.6% in 2009
Female
50.6%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 51.4% in 2009
Foreign born
2.3%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 2.1% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
9.5%
−5.7 ptssince 2009
from 15.2% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
15.7%
+1.8 ptssince 2012
from 13.9% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
14.5%
−11.8 ptssince 2013
from 26.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
84.8%
+16.3 ptssince 2017
from 68.5% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
91.4%
+2.1 ptssince 2020
from 89.3% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
89.7%
+4.5 ptssince 2020
from 85.3% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
93.8%
−1.7 ptssince 2016
from 95.4% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
1.6%
Unchangedsince 2016
from 1.6% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married32.2%(4,242)
Married52.3%(6,874)
Widowed4.1%(533)
Divorced11.4%(1,506)
Women 15+
Never married26.1%(3,564)
Married51.8%(7,067)
Widowed8.3%(1,134)
Divorced13.8%(1,887)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
14.5%
−11.8 ptssince 2013
from 26.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
35.0%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 34.2% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
16.6%
−1.6 ptssince 2020
from 18.2% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
25.8%
+1.3 ptssince 2020
from 24.5% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
24.8%
−4.3 ptssince 2020
from 29.1% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.5%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 3.8% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
52.6%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 53.2% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
47.9%
−2.8 ptssince 2020
from 50.7% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)20.1%(485)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)22.8%(551)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era47.6%(1,152)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.4%(83)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1%(23)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 2,418 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

Places similar to Lake County

Christian County
Pop 33,443
Madison County
Pop 32,919
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Pop 36,147
Lawrence County
Pop 33,843
Places similar to Lake County
Head to head

Compare Lake County to nearby counties

LAKE COUNTY VS
Missoula County
Income$75,598+19%
Home value$472,100+12%
Population123,513+270%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LAKE COUNTY VS
Flathead County
Income$73,925+17%
Home value$535,500+27%
Population115,429+246%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LAKE COUNTY VS
Sanders County
Income$57,476−9%
Home value$359,000−15%
Population14,062−58%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LAKE COUNTY VS
Mineral County
Income$63,450same
Home value$364,300−14%
Population5,185−84%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Lake County, Montana?

Lake County, Montana has about 32,561 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Lake County, Montana?

The typical household in Lake County, Montana earns about $63,360 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Lake County, Montana expensive?

In Lake County, Montana, the median home is worth about $421,800, and the typical rent is about $901 a month.

How educated are people in Lake County, Montana?

About 31.5% of adults age 25 and over in Lake County, Montana hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Lake County, Montana?

About 17.2% of people in Lake County, Montana live below the federal poverty line.

Has Lake County, Montana grown since 1990?

Yes, Lake County, Montana has grown since 1990. The population has added about 11,520 residents, a change of about 55 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

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Lake County, Montana: demographics, income & housing data · CensusEasy