county

Custer County, MT

Demographic and economic profile of Custer County, MT, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Custer County, MT is a small, rural county of 11,938 residents with a modest 0.8% population gain over five years, anchored by agriculture, energy, and regional services typical of eastern Montana. The labor force is lean—65.4% participation, 2.7% unemployment, and median worker earnings of $36,209—with 29.8% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 94.7% holding at least a high school diploma. Housing costs are low relative to national norms, with a median home value of $204,200 and median gross rent of $918/month, and a mean commute of just 13.6 minutes reflects the county's compact, small-town character.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

11,938

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$70,605

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

42.7 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

+0.8% since 2018

Custer County added population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone10,817 (90.4%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races457 (3.8%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race341 (2.9%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone220 (1.8%)
  • Some Other Race Alone68 (0.6%)
  • Asian Alone54 (0.5%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish81
  2. 2.Russian, Polish, or other Slavic50
  3. 3.German or other West Germanic35
  4. 4.Other Asian and Pacific Island33
  5. 5.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)29

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

19.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

59.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

20.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

1.3%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

864

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$40,602

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$35,864

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

2.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

11.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance1,623
  2. 2.Retail Trade (Group)1,173
  3. 3.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services492
  4. 4.Public Administration (Group)492
  5. 5.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining449

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations2,526
  2. 2.Sales & Office Occupations1,460
  3. 3.Service Occupations984
  4. 4.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations674
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations645

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 4.94×)493
  2. 2.Retail Trade (LQ 1.72×)1,175
  3. 3.Public Administration (LQ 1.63×)482
  4. 4.Other Services (LQ 1.10×)325
  5. 5.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.09×)1,589

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$204,200

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$918/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

69.9%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $200,000 to $249,999613 (17.4%)
  • $300,000 to $399,999437 (12.4%)
  • $125,000 to $149,999325 (9.2%)
  • $250,000 to $299,999317 (9.0%)
  • $400,000 to $499,999315 (8.9%)
  • $150,000 to $174,999255 (7.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

29.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

94.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

65.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$36,209

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

13.0 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

6.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone4,451 (71.4%)
  • Carpooled1,035 (16.6%)
  • Walked376 (6.0%)
  • Worked At Home310 (5.0%)
  • Other36 (0.6%)
  • Public Transit17 (0.3%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.