Columbia Falls, MT

Census Place

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2023 Population

5,531

1.77% 1-year growth

US Senator

Steve Daines

Republican Party

US Senator

Tim Sheehy

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

38.3

2.13% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

16.1%

13.7% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$65,313

1.26% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

2,856

13.6% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Columbia Falls, MT had a population of 5.53k people with a median age of 38.3 and a median household income of $65,313. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Columbia Falls, MT grew from 5,435 to 5,531, a 1.77% increase and its median household income grew from $64,500 to $65,313, a 1.26% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Columbia Falls, MT are White (Non-Hispanic) (92.7%), Other (Hispanic) (3%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (1.88%), Two+ (Hispanic) (1.41%), and Asian (Non-Hispanic) (0.759%).

None of the households in Columbia Falls, MT reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.6% of the residents in Columbia Falls, MT are U.S. citizens.

Most people in Columbia Falls, MT drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 20.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Columbia Falls, MT was 2 cars per household.

United States Montana Flathead County, MT Kalispell, MT Flathead, Glacier & Lincoln Counties--Kalispell City PUMA, MT

Population & Diversity

Columbia Falls, MT is home to a population of 5.53k people, from which 98.6% are citizens. As of 2023, 2.4% of Columbia Falls, MT residents were born outside of the country (133 people).

In 2023, there were 30.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (5.13k people) in Columbia Falls, MT than any other race or ethnicity. There were 166 Other (Hispanic) and 104 Two+ (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.6%

2023 Citizenship

98.7%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 98.6% of Columbia Falls, MT residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Columbia Falls, MT was 98.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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)
5.13k ± 250
Other (Hispanic)
166 ± 212
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
104 ± 97.2

4.63%

Hispanic Population

256 people

4.63% of the people in Columbia Falls, MT are hispanic (256 people).

The following chart shows the 7 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 Columbia Falls, MT.

Most Common Origin

Canada
3,689 ± 1,489 people
Mexico
2,900 ± 1,320 people
Germany
2,151 ± 1,138 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Columbia Falls, MT was Canada, the natal country of 3,689 Columbia Falls, MT residents, followed by Mexico with 2,900 and Germany with 2,151.

Foreign-Born Population

2.4%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

133 people

2.13%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

116 people

As of 2023, 2.4% of Columbia Falls, MT residents (133 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Columbia Falls, MT was 2.13%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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
170 ± 110
Gulf War (2001-)
18 ± 34
Gulf War (1990s)
11 ± 23

Columbia Falls, MT has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 9.44 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Columbia Falls, MT employs 2.86k people. The largest industries in Columbia Falls, MT are Accommodation & Food Services (444 people), Construction (386 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (297 people), and the highest paying industries are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($98,170), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($97,988), and Transportation & Warehousing ($97,988).

Males in Montana have an average income that is 1.32 times higher than the average income of females, which is $52,691. The income inequality in Montana (measured using the Gini index) is N/A, which is N/A than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

2.86k

2023 Value

± 563

13.6%

1 Year growth

± 23%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Columbia Falls, MT grew at a rate of 13.6%, from 2.51k employees to 2.86k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Columbia Falls, MT, are Management Occupations (308 people), Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance Occupations (279 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (268 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 false.

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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

2.86k

2023 Value

± 563

13.6%

1 Year growth

± 23%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Columbia Falls, MT grew at a rate of 13.6%, from 2.51k employees to 2.86k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Columbia Falls, MT, are Accommodation & Food Services (444 people), Construction (386 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (297 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

N/A

Median earning men ± N/A

N/A

Median earning women ± N/A

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($127,105), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($97,988), and Construction ($48,600).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($98,170), Public Administration ($62,578), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($43,772).

Employment by Industry Sector

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

Y-Axis

2.24%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 508k people employed in Montana. This represents a 2.24% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 11.8%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Montana.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Montana went to Donald J. Trump with 58.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.96%).

Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy are the senators currently representing the state of Montana. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Montana is currently represented by 2 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Columbia Falls, MT. Showing the available data for Montana.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (58.4%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (38.5%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (1.96%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Montana went to Donald J. Trump with 58.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.96%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Montana for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Montana

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Montana.

Steve Daines

Senator from Montana

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

Tim Sheehy

Senator from Montana

Assumed office on January 3, 2025

Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy are the senators currently representing Montana.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Montana over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Montana

Montana is currently represented by 2 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Montana have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

Completions

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for N/A.

Measure

In N/A, N/A% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while N/A% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for N/A.

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in false were N/A.

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

People in Columbia Falls, MT have an average commute time of 20.1 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.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 2.01
Census Tract 2.03

The following map shows all of the places in Columbia Falls, MT colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

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

$65,313

Median Household Income

± $15,280

2.14k

Number of Households

± 420

In 2023, the median household income of the 2.14k households in Columbia Falls, MT grew to $65,313 from the previous year's value of $64,500.

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 $100k - $125k range.

Wage Distribution

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

N/A Wage GINI in N/A

In N/A, the income inequality in N/A was N/A according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a N/A N/A from N/A to N/A, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat N/A even. The GINI for N/A was N/A than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed N/A evenly in N/A in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Columbia Falls, MT across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (76.7%)
Worked At Home (17.5%)
Walked (2.71%)

In 2023, 76.7% of workers in Columbia Falls, MT drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (17.5%) and those who walked to work (2.71%).

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

20.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Columbia Falls, MT have a shorter commute time (20.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 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

16.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Columbia Falls, MT (863 out of 5.37k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. 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
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

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

Health

85.1% of the population of Columbia Falls, MT has health coverage, with 38.8% on employee plans, 24.4% on Medicaid, 9.02% on Medicare, 10.4% on non-group plans, and 2.49% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Flathead County, MT see 1103 patients per year on average, which represents a 4.34% decrease from the previous year (1153 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1466 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 291 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the country level. Showing data for Flathead County, MT.

1,103 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Flathead County, MT

Primary care physicians in Flathead County, MT see an average of 1,103 patients per year. This represents a 4.34% decrease from the previous year (1,153 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Flathead County, MT in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 26.8% under 18 years, 16.7% between 18 and 34 years, 46% between 35 and 64 years, and 10.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.1% were men and 52.9% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

14.9%

Uninsured

38.8%

Employer Coverage

24.4%

Medicaid

9.02%

Medicare

10.4%

Non-Group

2.49%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Columbia Falls, MT grew by 3.05% from 14.5% to 14.9%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Columbia Falls, MT changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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