Lake County, Montana
CountyLake County
StateMontana
Ex imageStIgMissionOutside.JPG
Ex image size220px
Ex image capSt. Ignatius Mission at St. Ignatius, Montana
Founded year1923
Seat wlPolson
Largest city wlPolson
Area total1654 sq mi
Area land1490 sq mi
Area water164 sq mi
Area percentage9.9
Population as of2020
Population total31134
Pop est as of2025
Population est33392
Webhttp://www.lakemt.gov/
District1st
Time zoneMountain
Named forFlathead Lake

Lake County is a county located in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,134.[1] Its county seat is Polson.[2]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,654 square miles (4,280 km2), of which 1,490 square miles (3,900 km2) is land and 164 square miles (420 km2) (9.9%) is water.[3] Over two-thirds (67.7%) of the county's land lies within the Flathead Indian Reservation.

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 31,134. Of the residents, 23.2% were under the age of 18 and 24.3% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 44.7 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.7 males. 17.9% of residents lived in urban areas and 82.1% lived in rural areas.[4]

The racial makeup of the county was 66.3% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 22.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.8% from some other race, and 9.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.8% of the population.[5]

There were 12,486 households in the county, of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[6]

There were 16,390 housing units, of which 23.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.4% were owner-occupied and 28.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.9%.[6]

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 28,746 people, 11,432 households, and 7,770 families living in the county. The population density was 19.3 inhabitants per square mile (7.5 /km2). There were 16,588 housing units at an average density of 11.1 inhabitants per square mile (4.3 /km2). The racial makeup of the county was 69.4% white, 22.0% American Indian, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.5% from other races, and 7.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 22.3% were German, 11.6% were English, 11.5% were Irish, 6.9% were Norwegian, and 3.8% were American.

Of the 11,432 households, 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.0% were non-families, and 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age was 41.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,274 and the median income for a family was $47,437. Males had a median income of $37,461 versus $26,637 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,164. About 15.4% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.9% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Town

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Education

School districts include:

K-12 (Unified):[13]

High school:[13]

Elementary school:[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  4. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
  5. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
  6. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
  7. ^ Allentown MT Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)
  8. ^ Post Creek MT Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)
  9. ^ Proctor MT Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)
  10. ^ Round Butte MT Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)
  11. ^ Salmon Prairie Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)
  12. ^ Sipes MT Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)
  13. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Lake County, MT". U.S. Census Bureau. p. 4 (PDF p. 5/7). Retrieved March 13, 2024. - Text list