Census-designated place · Rosebud County, Montana

Lame Deer, Montana

Lame Deer is a census-designated place in Rosebud County, Montana. It has 1,872 residents. Lame Deer, Montana has a quality-of-life score of 17 out of 100 (very low), ranking #13,068 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Montana it ranks #91 of 94 cities and towns. It ranks best on median Air Quality Index (low), property crime rate (low) and average commute time (low). It ranks worst on lack of reliable transportation (high), unemployment rate (high) and frequent mental distress (high).

17Very low

Quality-of-life score: #13,068 of 15,651 cities and towns
Montana: #91 of 94 in MT
Population: 1,872 (2020-2024)
Land area: 56 mi²
Density: 33.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 3042250

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety49#7,946/15,637
Economy0#15,602/15,631
Housing—
Health0#15,535/15,609
Healthcare13#13,639/15,650
Environment67#5,174/15,453
Education23#12,072/15,649
Infrastructure4#15,091/15,650
Community42#9,059/15,651
Leisure & amenities85#2,403/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Lame Deer, Montana ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Rosebud County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Median Air Quality Index · low4
100/100Montana 332024U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyRosebud County value
Property crime rate · low164 /100k
99/100Montana 1,449 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationRosebud County value
Average commute time · low11.9 min
98/100Montana 19.1 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Grocery stores · high3.6 /10k
97/100Montana 2.1 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsRosebud County value
Public libraries · high3.7 /10k
97/100Montana 1.0 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesRosebud County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low97 min
97/100Montana 123 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesRosebud County value

Weaknesses

Lack of reliable transportation · high29.5%
0/100Montana 8.1%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Unemployment rate · high42.2%
0/100Montana 3.3%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Frequent mental distress · high27.1%
0/100Montana 19.0%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Adult smoking · high35.8%
0/100Montana 15.1%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Broadband subscriptions · low69.4%
1/100Montana 89.4%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Premature death · high22,747 /100k
1/100Montana 8,503 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRosebud County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
2,086 (2015-2019) → 1,872 (2020-2024)
−10%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.2× (2015-2019) → 4.7× (2020-2024)
+277%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Child poverty rateWorsening
30.2% (2015-2019) → 68.9% (2020-2024)
+39 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Unemployment rateWorsening
13.4% (2015-2019) → 42.2% (2020-2024)
+29 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Poverty rateWorsening
29.7% (2015-2019) → 55.8% (2020-2024)
+26 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
47.8% (2015-2019) → 69.4% (2020-2024)
+22 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Lame Deer, Montana improved on 1 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 6. 6 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Broadband+22 points47.8% → 69.4%

Declined6

Unemployment+29 points13.4% → 42.2%
Poverty+26 points29.7% → 55.8%
Child poverty+39 points30.2% → 68.9%
Price / income+3.4×1.2× → 4.7×
Household income−53%$50,795 → $23,700

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Lame Deer, Montana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	10.8 min2015-2019	11.9 min2020-2024	+1.1 min	Within the margin of error	35%
Bachelor's degree or higher	14.2%2015-2019	10.8%2020-2024	−3.4 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Broadband subscriptions	47.8%2015-2019	69.4%2020-2024	+22 points	Improved	92%
Child poverty rate	30.2%2015-2019	68.9%2020-2024	+39 points	Declined	1%
High school diploma or higher	86.3%2015-2019	81.7%2020-2024	−4.6 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Home price to income ratio	1.2×2015-2019	4.7×2020-2024	+3.4×	Declined	1%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4452015-2019	0.5852020-2024	+0.140	Declined	2%
Median household income	$50,7952015-2019	$23,7002020-2024	−53%	Declined	0%
Poverty rate	29.7%2015-2019	55.8%2020-2024	+26 points	Declined	0%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	13.7%2015-2019	17.3%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Unemployment rate	13.4%2015-2019	42.2%2020-2024	+29 points	Declined	0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	45.4%2015-2019	39.8%2020-2024	−5.6 points	Within the margin of error	89%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Lame Deer, Montana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Lame Deer, Montana in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Lame Deer, Montana itself moved −22.8 points in standing on average over the same 8 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,872 residents (±236)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

484 households (±74)

Lame Deer, Montana
Montana share

Under $25k53%255
$25k–50k17%†83
$50k–75k11%†54

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

484 households (±74)

Lame Deer, Montana
Montana share

Own56%272
Rent44%212

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

316 workers (±76)

Lame Deer, Montana
Montana share

Drive alone80%254
Carpool5.7%†18
Public transit0.0%0

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Rosebud County, the county holding most of Lame Deer's residents.

Rosebud County has 178 employer establishments, 219 for every 10,000 residents (0.88× the US rate of 248; 0.58× Montana's), with 2,214 paid employees at an average annual pay of $62,432. The Census Bureau also counts 515 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 178; 515 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 219; US 248 · Montana 376
Paid employees: 2,214
Average annual pay: $62,432; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Rosebud County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	12	14.8	0.81×About typical	55	$18,709	4
Religious organizations	9	11.1	2.00×Too few to compare	20	$14,350	—
Ambulatory health care services	8	9.9	0.47×Too few to compare	83	$48,952	18
Services to buildings and dwellings	8	9.9	1.46×Too few to compare	35	$17,314	30
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	7	8.6	3.25×Too few to compare	62	$26,758	7
Specialty trade contractors	7	8.6	0.56×Too few to compare	102	$84,245	43
Traveler accommodation	7	8.6	4.78×Too few to compare	44	$15,409	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	6	7.4	1.47×Too few to compare	17	$26,118	14
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	6	7.4	6.10×Too few to compare	43	$15,093	—
Full-service restaurants	6	7.4	0.96×Too few to compare	6	$45,333	—
Banks and credit unions	5	6.2	1.91×Too few to compare	36	$50,194	—
Lessors of real estate	5	6.2	0.50×Too few to compare	10	$15,000	31

Rank places for an industry Open Rosebud County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 8,112 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $977.1K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Lame Deer, Montana: $522 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $977.1K; −62% vs FY2025
Per resident: $522; US $1,995
Sole-source: 30%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Indian Health Service$936.6K96%
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education$33K3.4%
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission$7,4480.8%

Top recipients

T. F. POWERS CONSTRUCTION CO$852K87%
WESLEY MEDICAL STAFFING, INC.$675.4K69%
BAY AREA ANESTHESIA LLC$453.7K46%
CHENEGA GOVERNMENT MISSION SOLUTIONS, LLC$407.6K42%
TONGUE RIVER ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC.$70.6K7.2%

Spending by fiscal year

642.8KFY2017
585.3KFY2018
926.8KFY2019
921.4KFY2020
1.8MFY2021
2.9MFY2022
4.4MFY2023
2.7M

Top industries (NAICS)

Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$852K87%
Other professional, scientific, and technical services · 5419$427.2K44%
Employment services · 5613$192.8K20%
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution · 2211$70.6K7.2%
Medical and diagnostic laboratories · 6215$60.2K6.2%
Offices of physicians · 6211

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Lame Deer, Montana, so they do not add up across cities.

Lame Deer, Montana's figures are part of those of Rosebud County, MT ($5.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 18% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Lame Deer is mostly in Rosebud County.

See federal money in Rosebud County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Lame Deer, Montana is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Troy DowningR-MT-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 0.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Rosebud County42100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Rosebud County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3042250

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends