Columbia Falls, MT

Census Place

2024 Population

5,615

US Senator

Steve Daines

Republican Party

US Senator

Tim Sheehy

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

36.6

4.44% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

15.2%

5.23% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$75,766

16% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

Population & Diversity

Columbia Falls, MT is home to a population of 5.62k people, from which 99.2% are citizens.

As of 2024, 1.5% of Columbia Falls, MT residents were born outside of the country (84 people).

In 2024, there were 37.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (5.26k people) in Columbia Falls, MT than any other race or ethnicity. There were 139 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 94 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.2%

2024 Citizenship

98.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.2% of Columbia Falls, MT residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Columbia Falls, MT was 98.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Columbia Falls, MT compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Columbia Falls, MT

White (Non-Hispanic)
5.26k ± 199
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
139 ± 91
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
94 ± 107

2.94%

Hispanic Population

165 people

2.94% of the people in Columbia Falls, MT are hispanic (165 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Columbia Falls, MT as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Montana.

Most Common Origin

Canada
4,118 ± 1,573 people
Mexico
2,905 ± 1,322 people
Philippines
1,984 ± 1,093 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Montana was Canada, the natal country of 4,118 Montana residents, followed by Mexico with 2,905 and Philippines with 1,984.

Foreign-Born Population

1.5%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

84 people

2.4%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

133 people

As of 2024, 1.5% of Columbia Falls, MT residents (84 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Columbia Falls, MT was 2.4%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Columbia Falls, MT compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
154 ± 103
Gulf War (2001-)
40 ± 52
Korea
20 ± 34

Columbia Falls, MT has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.85 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Columbia Falls, MT.

Economy

The economy of Columbia Falls, MT employs 2.93k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Columbia Falls, MT were Accommodation & Food Services (486 people), Construction (376 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (321 people), and the highest paying industries were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($129,271), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting ($128,073), and Transportation & Warehousing ($100,938).

Employment

Occupations

2.93k

2024 Value

± 569

2.73%

1 Year growth

± 26.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Columbia Falls, MT grew at a rate of 2.73%, from 2.86k employees to 2.93k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Columbia Falls, MT, are Management Occupations (412 people), Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (267 people), and Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance Occupations (253 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Columbia Falls, MT.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Montana.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Montana (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

2.93k

2024 Value

± 569

2.73%

1 Year growth

± 26.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Columbia Falls, MT grew at a rate of 2.73%, from 2.86k employees to 2.93k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Columbia Falls, MT, are Accommodation & Food Services (486 people), Construction (376 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (321 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Columbia Falls, MT, though some of these residents may live in Columbia Falls, MT and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$39,500

Median earning men ± $14,968

$42,800

Median earning women ± $8,813

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($129,896), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($100,938), and Construction ($63,243).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($100,407), Public Administration ($59,342), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($48,234).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Columbia Falls, MT was $384,400 in 2024, which is 1.16 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $346,700 to $384,400, a 10.9% increase. The homeownership rate in Columbia Falls, MT is 56%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Columbia Falls, MT have an average commute time of 19.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Columbia Falls, MT is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$384,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$38,572

$1,238

Median Property Taxes

±$278

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Columbia Falls, MT the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Columbia Falls, MT compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

56%

Homeownership

2024

66.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 56% of the housing units in Columbia Falls, MT were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 64.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Columbia Falls, MT compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$75,766

Median Household Income

± $17,198

2.21k

Number of Households

± 430

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.21k households in Columbia Falls, MT grew to $75,766 from the previous year's value of $65,313.

The following chart displays the households in Columbia Falls, MT distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Columbia Falls, MT is from Montana.

0.458

2024 Wage GINI in Montana

0.46

2023 Wage GINI in Montana

In 2024, the income inequality in Montana was 0.458 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.613% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Montana was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Montana in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Montana across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (78.6%)
Worked At Home (14.8%)
Carpooled (4.39%)

In 2024, 78.6% of workers in Columbia Falls, MT drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (14.8%) and those who carpooled to work (4.39%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

19.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Columbia Falls, MT have a shorter commute time (19.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0% of the workforce in Columbia Falls, MT have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Columbia Falls, MT compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Columbia Falls, MT distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Columbia Falls, MT have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

15.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Columbia Falls, MT (830 out of 5.45k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Columbia Falls, MT is White, followed by Other and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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