Polson, MT

Census Place

2024 Population

5,428

US Senator

Steve Daines

Republican Party

US Senator

Tim Sheehy

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

0.233% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

17.5%

12.5% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$53,418

3.8% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

Population & Diversity

Polson, MT is home to a population of 5.43k people, from which 98.1% are citizens.

As of 2024, 2.39% of Polson, MT residents were born outside of the country (130 people).

In 2024, there were 5.64 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.66k people) in Polson, MT than any other race or ethnicity. There were 649 American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) and 459 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.1%

2024 Citizenship

97.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.1% of Polson, MT residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Polson, MT was 97.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Polson, MT

White (Non-Hispanic)
3.66k ± 314
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
649 ± 178
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
459 ± 260

7.65%

Hispanic Population

415 people

7.65% of the people in Polson, MT are hispanic (415 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Polson, 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

2.39%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

130 people

2.74%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

146 people

As of 2024, 2.39% of Polson, MT residents (130 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 Polson, MT was 2.74%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
179 ± 83
Gulf War (2001-)
169 ± 100
Gulf War (1990s)
63 ± 52

Polson, MT has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.06 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Polson, MT employs 2.23k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Polson, MT were Health Care & Social Assistance (420 people), Retail Trade (395 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (246 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($92,692), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($92,647), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($64,375).

Employment

Occupations

2.23k

2024 Value

± 335

−2.02%

1 Year decline

± 20.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Polson, MT declined at a rate of −2.02%, from 2.27k employees to 2.23k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Polson, MT, are Management Occupations (328 people), Sales & Related Occupations (263 people), and Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (241 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Polson, 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

2.23k

2024 Value

± 335

−2.02%

1 Year decline

± 20.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Polson, MT declined at a rate of −2.02%, from 2.27k employees to 2.23k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Polson, MT, are Health Care & Social Assistance (420 people), Retail Trade (395 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (246 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Polson, MT, though some of these residents may live in Polson, MT and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$45,762

Median earning men ± $8,999

$40,735

Median earning women ± $6,104

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($70,938), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($64,643), and Public Administration ($50,750).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Other Services Except Public Administration ($63,571), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($62,188), and Public Administration ($57,898).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Polson, MT was $356,300 in 2024, which is 1.07 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $321,000 to $356,300, a 11% increase. The homeownership rate in Polson, MT is 54.6%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Polson, MT have an average commute time of 19.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Polson, MT is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$356,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$53,899

$1,299

Median Property Taxes

±$236

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 Polson, MT the largest share of households pay taxes in the $2k - $3k range.

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

Rent vs Own

54.6%

Homeownership

2024

58.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 54.6% of the housing units in Polson, MT were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 52.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Polson, 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.

$53,418

Median Household Income

± $4,920

2.38k

Number of Households

± 324

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.38k households in Polson, MT grew to $53,418 from the previous year's value of $51,463.

The following chart displays the households in Polson, 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 Polson, 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 (82%)
Carpooled (6.61%)
Worked At Home (4.88%)

In 2024, 82% of workers in Polson, MT drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (6.61%) and those who worked at home (4.88%).

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

19.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Polson, MT have a shorter commute time (19.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 5.76% of the workforce in Polson, MT have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

17.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Polson, MT (932 out of 5.34k 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 Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Polson, MT is White, followed by Native American and Two Or More.

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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