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COUNTY

Yellowstone County

Montana · 172,692 residents (2025 est.) · 2,633 sq mi
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The short version

Yellowstone County is a county of 168,957 people in Montana. That puts it in the top 6% of US counties for household income. 2% of residents were born outside the United States. The population is up 31% since 2000. Getting to work takes 19 minutes on average. There are 64 people per square mile.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 39.0
US median: 38.9
Average education
34% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 97%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
168,957
+31%since 2000
from 129,352 in 2000
172,692 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
64 / sq mi
+20%since 2009
from 53 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
39.0
+6%since 2000
from 36.9 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
2,633 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
108K125K141K158K175K19902000201020202024Yellowstone County
2024169K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.6%(9,395)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.7%(11,345)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.6%(11,137)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.3%(10,569)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.8%(9,744)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413.7%(23,168)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.5%(22,847)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.4%(19,250)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.2%(20,610)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.9%(18,344)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.3%(8,960)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.1%(3,588)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$76,570
+14%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $36,727 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$43,898
+127%since 2000
from $19,303 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
51.1%
+24.0 ptssince 2009
from 27.1% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
9.2%
−1.9 ptssince 2000
from 11.1% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.457
+6%since 2010
from 0.429 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information12.7%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade8.1%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance7%
US avg: 5.9%
Other services6.2%
US avg: 6.7%
Professional, scientific, technical6.1%
US avg: 5.1%
Retail trade4.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Public administration4.1%
US avg: 4.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2.6%
US avg: 1.6%
Transportation & warehousing2.6%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.5%
US avg: 1.9%
Manufacturing1.4%
US avg: 0.4%
Construction1.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.9%
US avg: 0.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$349,500
+97%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $97,200 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,131
+31%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $474 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
69.6%
+0.4 ptssince 2000
from 69.2% in 2000
30.4% rent
Vacancy rate
5.8%
+1.1 ptssince 2009
from 4.8% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.37 people
−3%since 2009
from 2.45 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
20.2%
−2.4 ptssince 2009
from 22.6% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
44.7%
+2.9 ptssince 2009
from 41.8% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
4.6
+34%since 2009
from 3.4 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
64
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic91%(117,698)
Black0.4%(542)
Hispanic / Latino3.7%(4,788)
Asian0.5%(666)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic83.4%(140,945)
Black0.4%(757)
Hispanic / Latino6.6%(11,144)
Asian0.7%(1,203)
Other8.8%(14,908)
Diversity Score
36
+27%since 2009
from 29 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
22
−14%since 2020
from 25 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
Mexican4.8%(8,036)
Spaniard0.6%(1,038)
Puerto Rican0.2%(388)
Argentine0.1%(128)
Colombian0.1%(105)
Bolivian0.1%(87)
Cuban0.1%(86)
Dominican0%(64)
+ 3 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Vietnamese0.2%(365)
Japanese0.2%(283)
Chinese0.1%(235)
Filipino0.1%(184)
Korean0.1%(104)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.1%(154)
Tongan0%(34)
Chamorro0%(15)
Ancestry
German29%(48,998)
Irish13.2%(22,364)
English12.7%(21,506)
Norwegian9.3%(15,679)
American4.7%(7,936)
Italian3.3%(5,591)
Scottish2.7%(4,545)
Swedish2.4%(4,013)
French2.3%(3,859)
Polish1.7%(2,897)
Russian1.4%(2,417)
Dutch1.1%(1,811)
+ 37 more ancestry groups with data
Danish1.1%(1,798)
Scotch-Irish0.9%(1,554)
Welsh0.6%(1,077)
British0.5%(828)
Czech0.5%(776)
Finnish0.5%(771)
Swiss0.3%(473)
Canadian0.2%(395)
Belgian0.2%(380)
Serbian0.2%(351)
Hungarian0.2%(334)
Austrian0.2%(327)
Ukrainian0.2%(287)
Greek0.2%(275)
Croatian0.2%(266)
Lithuanian0.1%(246)
Portuguese0.1%(208)
West Indian0.1%(141)
Slovene0.1%(121)
Haitian0.1%(104)
Arab0.1%(101)
Bulgarian0.1%(90)
Slovak0%(78)
Nigerian0%(62)
Egyptian0%(45)
Jamaican0%(37)
Latvian0%(27)
Armenian0%(26)
Iranian0%(22)
Romanian0%(17)
Turkish0%(9)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
34.1%
+7.8 ptssince 2000
from 26.4% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
95.5%
+7.1 ptssince 2000
from 88.5% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
10.4%
+3.1 ptssince 2000
from 7.3% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
18.6 min
+68%since 2000
from 11.1 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
77.4%
−3.5 ptssince 2009
from 80.9% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
9.4%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 9.8% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
1.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 1.3% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
8.9%
+5.3 ptssince 2009
from 3.6% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.9%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 2.8% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.5%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.7% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
4.3%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 5.5% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.4%
−1.3 ptssince 2011
from 4.7% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
66.1%
−3.3 ptssince 2011
from 69.4% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
79.1%
+1.5 ptssince 2020
from 77.6% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
11.7%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 10.3% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
39.4%
+8.6 ptssince 2009
from 30.8% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.6%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 49.0% in 2009
Female
50.4%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 51.0% in 2009
Foreign born
1.9%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.0% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
9.3%
−3.3 ptssince 2009
from 12.6% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
14.4%
+1.9 ptssince 2012
from 12.5% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
7.7%
−7.9 ptssince 2013
from 15.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
91.4%
+11.1 ptssince 2017
from 80.3% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
95.9%
+3.5 ptssince 2020
from 92.4% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
85.7%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 84.7% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
96.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2016
from 96.4% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
1.5%
Unchangedsince 2016
from 1.5% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married33.5%(22,631)
Married51.3%(34,616)
Widowed2.3%(1,561)
Divorced12.8%(8,657)
Women 15+
Never married26.3%(18,306)
Married50.6%(35,258)
Widowed9.1%(6,309)
Divorced14%(9,742)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
7.7%
−7.9 ptssince 2013
from 15.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
54.0%
−3.3 ptssince 2020
from 57.3% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
15.7%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 15.0% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
19.7%
+1.3 ptssince 2020
from 18.4% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
19.7%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 19.6% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.9%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 3.9% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
68.4%
−3.0 ptssince 2020
from 71.4% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
38.0%
+1.6 ptssince 2020
from 36.4% 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)24.2%(2,936)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)21.7%(2,632)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era34.4%(4,174)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.9%(589)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.5%(185)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 12,127 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 Yellowstone County

Madera County
Pop 167,927
Scott County
Pop 175,259
Indian River County
Pop 172,799
Sumter County
Pop 157,772
Places similar to Yellowstone County
Head to head

Compare Yellowstone County to nearby counties

YELLOWSTONE COUNTY VS
Musselshell County
Income$58,920−23%
Home value$235,000−33%
Population5,582−97%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
YELLOWSTONE COUNTY VS
Big Horn County
Income$58,750−23%
Home value$143,400−59%
Population12,752−93%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
YELLOWSTONE COUNTY VS
Treasure County
Income$67,917−11%
Home value$230,300−34%
Population728−100%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
YELLOWSTONE COUNTY VS
Golden Valley County
Income$58,333−24%
Home value$212,200−39%
Population844−100%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Yellowstone County, Montana?

Yellowstone County, Montana has about 168,957 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Yellowstone County, Montana earns about $76,570 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Yellowstone County, Montana expensive?

In Yellowstone County, Montana, the median home is worth about $349,500, and the typical rent is about $1,131 a month.

How educated are people in Yellowstone County, Montana?

About 34.1% of adults age 25 and over in Yellowstone County, Montana hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Yellowstone County, Montana?

About 9.2% of people in Yellowstone County, Montana live below the federal poverty line.

Has Yellowstone County, Montana grown since 1990?

Yes, Yellowstone County, Montana has grown since 1990. The population has added about 55,538 residents, a change of about 49 percent over that period.

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

How we source and harmonize this data →