Official Federal Data
Prairie County, Montana
FIPS 30079 · Population 1,250
8 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$51,250 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
1.9% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$62M ▲
GDP
26.9% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 1,250 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
$51,250 ▲
Per Capita
$35,904 ▲
Mean Household
$74,488 ▲
Poverty Rate
20.6% ▲approx.
Median Income Comparison
Prairie County$51,250
Montana$72,509
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 17%
18-34 · 13%
35-54 · 18.3%
55-64 · 9.6%
65+ · 42.2%
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+
96.5%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +6.9 pts
26.9%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 8.8 pts
11.8%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 2.3 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
1,250
Population
543
Labor Force
Employed
538
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
1.9% ▲ +0.1 pts YoY
Mean Commute 26 min below national avg
0.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
36.4%
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 20.6%, 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 8.8 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
- Aging population: Median age of 58 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 23 workers (53.5% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $20,795.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $62M (2024).
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
Seeing a change here?
Get Deeper Trends
EP customers get year-over-year deltas, WARN notices, and SEC filings for every sector tracked above, surfaced as proactive alerts, not after-the-fact news.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$165,700 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$627 ▼
Rent/Mo
83.9% ▼
Owner-Occ
20.7% ▼
Vacancy
3.2x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,160/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,208/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,548/mo
3 Bedroom
$2,139/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,503/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,281/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.2x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- High home ownership: 83.9% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Elevated vacancy: 20.7% 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: 2 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,281/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
511 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 26 min below national avg
0.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
36.4%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
88.5%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
26.9% ▲
HS Diploma+
96.5% ▲
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
23.5%
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
48.7%
Service
10.6%
Sales & Office
13.6%
Construction / Maint.
16.9%
Production / Transport
10.2%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 538 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 23.5% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Low participation: 52.3% 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 8 federal data sources
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
Take it further
AI Insights: Built into ExecutivePulse. Continuous analysis tied to your own pipeline: industry-shift signals, prospect matches, retention prompts.
Managed Services: Prefer to hand it off? Our team delivers the analysis and consulting for you.
Schedule a DemoAvailable as premium offerings.
Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Prairie County, Montana, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Prairie County, Montana?
1,250 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Prairie County, Montana?
$51,250 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Prairie County, Montana?
1.9% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Prairie County, Montana?
$62M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
Prairie County, MT: Public data. Imagine the full platform.
Get a Demo →