county

Pondera County, MT

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

AI Overview

Pondera County is a small, agriculture-oriented rural county in north-central Montana with a population of 6,012 that has edged down 0.5% over five years. The labor force is limited—58.0% participation, 6.5% unemployment—and educational attainment is modest, with only 19.5% holding a bachelor's degree or higher, while median worker earnings sit at $29,891 against a median household income of $52,338. Housing costs are low (median home value $179,200, median rent $806/month), though a 22.9% poverty rate and per capita income of $28,921 point to persistent economic constraints in the county.

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

Population

6,012

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$52,338

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

42.0 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-0.5% since 2018

Pondera County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone4,788 (79.3%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone910 (15.1%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races199 (3.3%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race64 (1.1%)
  • Asian Alone60 (1.0%)
  • Some Other Race Alone13 (0.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.German or other West Germanic455
  2. 2.Spanish71
  3. 3.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)5
  4. 4.Other Asian and Pacific Island5

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

23.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

54.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

21.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

1.8%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

339

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$50,689

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$28,921

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

6.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

22.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance576
  2. 2.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining528
  3. 3.Retail Trade (Group)259
  4. 4.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services202
  5. 5.Public Administration (Group)191

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations960
  2. 2.Service Occupations565
  3. 3.Sales & Office Occupations428
  4. 4.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations375
  5. 5.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations291

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 12.63×)517
  2. 2.Wholesale Trade (LQ 2.65×)157
  3. 3.Public Administration (LQ 1.28×)155
  4. 4.Retail Trade (LQ 1.07×)300
  5. 5.Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, & Accommodation (LQ 1.01×)227

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$179,200

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$806/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

67.7%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $200,000 to $249,999223 (14.5%)
  • $500,000 to $749,999138 (9.0%)
  • $300,000 to $399,999137 (8.9%)
  • $250,000 to $299,999131 (8.5%)
  • $100,000 to $124,999113 (7.4%)
  • $400,000 to $499,99997 (6.3%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

19.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

86.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

58.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$29,891

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

19.2 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

6.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone1,784 (69.6%)
  • Walked281 (11.0%)
  • Worked At Home247 (9.6%)
  • Carpooled187 (7.3%)
  • Other38 (1.5%)
  • Motorcycle13 (0.5%)

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.