Official Federal Data
Carter County, Montana
FIPS 30011 · Population 1,308
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$54,167 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
1.9% ▼
Unemployment
4% national
$92M ▲
GDP
20.7% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 1,308 residents. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which carry a wide margin of error for places under 20,000 people. Read each value as an approximate range, and treat year-over-year changes as indicative rather than exact. A small shift can reflect survey sampling, not a real change on the ground.
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$54,167 ▲
Per Capita
$31,342 ▲
Mean Household
$67,789 ▲
Poverty Rate
15.4% ▲approx.
Median Income Comparison
Carter County$54,167
Montana$72,509
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 17.7%
18-34 · 13.9%
35-54 · 15.5%
55-64 · 21.8%
65+ · 31.1%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
93.7%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +4.1 pts
20.7%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 15.0 pts
5%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 9.1 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
1,308
Population
633
Labor Force
Employed
615
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
1.9% ▼ 0.4 pts YoY
Mean Commute 26 min below national avg
0.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
39.5%
Key Takeaways
- Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, which directly affects retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base.
- Elevated poverty: At 15.4%, the rate is in economically distressed territory and supports federal funding narratives (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 15.0 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
- Aging population: Median age of 57 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Retail Trade employs 30 workers (54.5% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $36,998.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $92M (2024).
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
29
Cluster Employment
51.32x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Animal Production and Aquaculture
51.32x 29
Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries
3.50x 14
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Animal Production and Aquaculture concentrates at 51.32x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$199,200 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$824 ▲
Rent/Mo
62.2% ▼
Owner-Occ
27.6% ▲
Vacancy
3.7x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$932/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,002/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,244/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,492/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,011/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,354/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.7x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Elevated vacancy: 27.6% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
- Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,354/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
670 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 26 min below national avg
0.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
39.5%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
83.2%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
20.7% ▲
HS Diploma+
93.7% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
8,624/yr
3,536/yr
3,194/yr
795/yr
425/yr
381/yr
293/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
42.5%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
60.3%
Service
7.3%
Sales & Office
5.9%
Construction / Maint.
17.7%
Production / Transport
8.8%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 615 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 42.5% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Low participation: 58.8% labor force participation suggests untapped capacity; workforce development programs may unlock supply.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 7,525 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Carter County shows strong potential for animal production and aquaculture attraction, with a 51.32x concentration and 29 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 42.5% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Carter County, Montana, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Carter County, Montana?
1,308 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Carter County, Montana?
$54,167 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Carter County, Montana?
1.9% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Carter County, Montana?
$92M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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