Custer County, MT

County

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2023 Population

11,938

0.159% 1-year decline

US Senator

Steve Daines

Republican Party

US Senator

Tim Sheehy

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

42.6

0.467% 1-year decrease

2023 Poverty Rate

11.7%

5.09% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$63,585

4.04% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$204,200

1.59% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

6,258

0.208% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Custer County, MT had a population of 11.9k people with a median age of 42.6 and a median household income of $63,585. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Custer County, MT declined from 11,957 to 11,938, a −0.159% decrease and its median household income grew from $61,114 to $63,585, a 4.04% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Custer County, MT are White (Non-Hispanic) (89.5%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (4.91%), White (Hispanic) (1.74%), American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) (1.25%), and Two+ (Hispanic) (1.07%).

None of the households in Custer County, 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.

99.4% of the residents in Custer County, MT are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Custer County, MT are Miles Community College (133 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2023, the median property value in Custer County, MT was $204,200, and the homeownership rate was 68.5%.

Most people in Custer County, MT drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 13.6 minutes. The average car ownership in Custer County, MT was 2 cars per household.

Custer County, MT borders Carter County, MT, Fallon County, MT, Garfield County, MT, Powder River County, MT, Prairie County, MT, and Rosebud County, MT.

United States Montana

Population & Diversity

Custer County, MT is home to a population of 11.9k people, from which 99.4% are citizens. As of 2023, 1.57% of Custer County, MT residents were born outside of the country (188 people).

In 2023, there were 18.2 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (10.7k people) in Custer County, MT than any other race or ethnicity. There were 586 Two+ (Non-Hispanic) and 208 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.4%

2023 Citizenship

99.4%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 99.4% of Custer County, MT residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Custer County, MT was 99.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Custer County, MT

White (Non-Hispanic)
10.7k ± 102
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
586 ± 127
White (Hispanic)
208 ± 75

3.31%

Hispanic Population

395 people

3.31% of the people in Custer County, MT are hispanic (395 people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Custer County, MT as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

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

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 Montana was Canada, the natal country of 3,689 Montana residents, followed by Mexico with 2,900 and Germany with 2,151.

Foreign-Born Population

1.57%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

188 people

1.88%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

225 people

As of 2023, 1.57% of Custer County, MT residents (188 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 Custer County, MT was 1.88%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
309 ± 67
Gulf War (2001-)
193 ± 84
Gulf War (1990s)
189 ± 73

Custer County, MT has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.6 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Custer County, MT employs 6.26k people. The largest industries in Custer County, MT are Retail Trade (1,175 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,031 people), and Educational Services (558 people), and the highest paying industries are Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($109,167), Utilities ($61,382), and Public Administration ($56,094).

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 0.463, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

6.26k

2023 Value

± 415

0.208%

1 Year growth

± 9.4%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Custer County, MT grew at a rate of 0.208%, from 6.25k employees to 6.26k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Custer County, MT, are Sales & Related Occupations (765 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (682 people), and Management Occupations (611 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Custer County, 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

6.26k

2023 Value

± 415

0.208%

1 Year growth

± 9.4%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Custer County, MT grew at a rate of 0.208%, from 6.25k employees to 6.26k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Custer County, MT, are Retail Trade (1,175 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,031 people), and Educational Services (558 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Custer County, MT, though some of these residents may live in Custer County, MT and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$41,613

Median earning men ± $4,385

$36,673

Median earning women ± $2,709

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Information ($82,750), Public Administration ($63,667), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($54,232).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Public Administration ($51,389), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($51,322), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($47,500).

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.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

32
Construction
22
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
20
Transportation and Warehousing

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$39.4k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$28.8k
Retail Trade
$27k
Construction

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Custer County, MT went to Donald J. Trump with 71.8% of the vote. The runner-up was Joseph R Biden Jr. (25.8%), followed by Jo Jorgensen (2.41%).

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

2020 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (71.8%)
Republican Party
Joseph R Biden Jr. (25.8%)
Democratic Party
Jo Jorgensen (2.41%)
Libertarian Party

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Custer County, MT for each registered party from 1976 to 2020.

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

In 2023, universities in Custer County, MT awarded 133 degrees. The student population of Custer County, MT in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 212 male students and 458 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Custer County, MT are White (106 and 79.7%), followed by Unknown (9 and 6.77%), American Indian or Alaska Native (9 and 6.77%), and Hispanic or Latino (4 and 3.01%).

The largest universities in Custer County, MT by number of degrees awarded are Miles Community College (133 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Custer County, MT are General Studies (32 and 24.1%), Registered Nursing (22 and 16.5%), and General Business Administration & Management (18 and 13.5%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 670 students enrolled in Custer County, MT, 31.6% men and 68.4% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 537 records, of which 68.9% were women and 31.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
22 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
17 degrees awarded
General Studies
32 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Custer County, MT was Registered Nursing with 22 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Custer County, MT according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Miles Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

133 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Miles Community College with 133 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 69 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Custer County, MT, which is 1.08 times more than the 64 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 106 degrees mean that there were 11.8 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 9 degrees awarded.

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.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($4,680) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($2,550) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,100) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2022, 0.324% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.29% 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 Montana.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (252k), Some college (211k), and Bachelors Degree (180k).

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

The median property value in Custer County, MT was $204,200 in 2023, which is 0.673 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $201,000 to $204,200, a 1.59% increase. The homeownership rate in Custer County, MT is 68.5%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Custer County, MT have an average commute time of 13.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Custer County, MT is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Custer County, MT is $63,585. In 2023, the tract with the highest Median Household Income in Custer County, MT was Census Tract 9613 with a value of $84,875, followed by Census Tract 9619 and Census Tract 9615, with respective values of $78,929 and $63,542.

In 2023, 13.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Custer County, MT. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator grew 2.45%.

Housing

Property

$204,200

Median Property Value 2023

±$14,615

$3,455

Median Property Taxes

±$288

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 Custer County, MT the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

68.5%

Homeownership

2023

64.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 68.5% of the housing units in Custer County, MT were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 67.3%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 9613
Census Tract 9619
Census Tract 9615

In 2023, the tract with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Custer County, MT was Census Tract 9613 with a value of $84,875, followed by Census Tract 9619 and Census Tract 9615, with respective values of $78,929 and $63,542.

The following map shows all of the tracts in Custer County, 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.

$63,585

Median Household Income

± $6,030

5.04k

Number of Households

± 371

In 2023, the median household income of the 5.04k households in Custer County, MT grew to $63,585 from the previous year's value of $61,114.

The following chart displays the households in Custer County, 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 Custer County, MT is from Montana.

0.463

2022 Wage GINI in Montana

0.463

2021 Wage GINI in Montana

In 2022, the income inequality in Montana was 0.463 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0827% growth from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Montana was lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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 2023

Drove Alone (70.3%)
Carpooled (17.8%)
Worked At Home (5.77%)

In 2023, 70.3% of workers in Custer County, MT drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (17.8%) and those who worked at home (5.77%).

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

13.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Custer County, MT have a shorter commute time (13.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 1.98% of the workforce in Custer County, MT have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2023, 13.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Custer County, MT. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator grew 2.45%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

11.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Custer County, MT (1.34k out of 11.5k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 18 - 24, followed by Males 25 - 34 and then Males 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Custer County, MT is White, followed by Two Or More 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.

Children in Poverty

In 2023, 14.2% of the children was living in poverty in Custer County, MT. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 5.2%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children 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

92.4% of the population of Custer County, MT has health coverage, with 40.7% on employee plans, 18.2% on Medicaid, 15% on Medicare, 15.5% on non-group plans, and 2.98% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Custer County, MT see 1255 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.947% decrease from the previous year (1267 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1702 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 284 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.8% were men and 50.2% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,255 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Custer County, MT

Primary care physicians in Custer County, MT see an average of 1,255 patients per year. This represents a 0.947% decrease from the previous year (1,267 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.9% under 18 years, 19.3% between 18 and 34 years, 40.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.8% were men and 50.2% were women.

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

Uninsured People

7.57%

Uninsured

40.7%

Employer Coverage

18.2%

Medicaid

15%

Medicare

15.5%

Non-Group

2.98%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Custer County, MT grew by 1.92% from 7.43% to 7.57%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2023, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was N/A in Custer County, MT.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Custer County, MT.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2023, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 33.8% in Custer County, MT.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Custer County, MT.