Census-designated place · Missoula County, Montana

Lolo, Montana

Lolo is a census-designated place in Missoula County, Montana, part of the Missoula, MT metro area. It has 4,314 residents. Lolo, Montana has a quality-of-life score of 89 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,675 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Montana it ranks #19 of 94 cities and towns. It ranks best on high school diploma or higher (high), distance to an airport (low) and new business applications (high). It ranks worst on suicide rate (high), comfortable days (low) and firearm deaths (high).

89Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,675 of 15,651 cities and towns
Montana: #19 of 94 in MT
Population: 4,314 (2020-2024)
Land area: 9 mi²
Density: 455.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 3044650

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 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.

Safety13#13,572/15,637
Economy90#1,510/15,631
Housing63#5,585/14,977
Health64#5,612/15,609
Healthcare83#2,631/15,650
Environment65#5,391/15,453
Education92#1,241/15,649
Infrastructure92#1,280/15,650
Community97#533/15,651
Leisure & amenities90#1,538/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Lolo, Montana ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Missoula 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

High school diploma or higher · high96.1%
99/100Montana 94.6%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Distance to an airport · low7 mi
99/100Montana 53 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauMissoula County value
New business applications · high32.6 /1k
98/100Montana 26.1 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauMissoula County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high13.3 /10k
97/100Montana 13.7 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMissoula County value
Mental health providers · high714 /100k
97/100Montana 435 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMissoula County value
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.4 /10k
97/100Montana 1.8 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMissoula County value

Weaknesses

Suicide rate · high29.5 /100k
4/100Montana 30.3 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMissoula County value
Comfortable days · low22.7%
6/100Montana 22.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMissoula County value
Firearm deaths · high23.8 /100k
8/100Montana 23.6 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMissoula County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high99 mi
10/100Montana 117 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauMissoula County value
Violent crime rate · high471 /100k
11/100Montana 419 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationMissoula County value
Depression · high27.9%
13/100Montana 25.9%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate

Trends

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

PopulationRising
3,961 (2015-2019) → 4,314 (2020-2024)
+8.9%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
25.5% (2015-2019) → 55.6% (2020-2024)
+30 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
21.0% (2015-2019) → 34.1% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Median household incomeImproving
$58,688 (2015-2019) → $86,065 (2020-2024)
+47%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
12.5% (2015-2019) → 5.5% (2020-2024)
−7 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
34.6% (2015-2019) → 40.9% (2020-2024)
+6.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

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, Lolo, Montana improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 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

Household income+47%$58,688 → $86,065

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Lolo, Montana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.1 min2015-2019	25.3 min2020-2024	+1.2 min	Within the margin of error	34%
Bachelor's degree or higher	34.6%2015-2019	40.9%2020-2024	+6.4 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Broadband subscriptions	94.5%2015-2019	97.1%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Effective property tax rate	1.04%2015-2019	0.92%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	40%
High school diploma or higher	95.6%2015-2019	96.1%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Home price to income ratio	3.9×2015-2019	5.0×2020-2024	+1.1×	Within the margin of error	19%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3902015-2019	0.3342020-2024	−0.056	Within the margin of error	86%
Median household income	$58,6882015-2019	$86,0652020-2024	+47%	Improved	81%
Poverty rate	7.9%2015-2019	5.3%2020-2024	−2.6 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	21.0%2015-2019	34.1%2020-2024	+13 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	12.5%2015-2019	5.5%2020-2024	−7 points	Within the margin of error	92%

“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 Lolo, Montana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Lolo, 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, Lolo, Montana itself moved −6 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

4,314 residents (±617)

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

1,708 households (±209)

Lolo, Montana
Montana share

Under $25k6.9%†117
$25k–50k15%†248
$50k–75k20%

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,708 households (±209)

Lolo, Montana
Montana share

Own71%1,212
Rent29%†496

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−13.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

2,127 workers (±323)

Lolo, Montana
Montana share

Drive alone79%1,684
Carpool7.9%†168
Public transit0.0%0

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Missoula, MT

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 Missoula County, the county holding most of Lolo's residents.

Missoula County has 4,816 employer establishments, 396 for every 10,000 residents (1.60× the US rate of 248; 1.05× Montana's), with 54,136 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,657. The Census Bureau also counts 12,867 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 4,816; 12,867 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 396; US 248 · Montana 376
Paid employees: 54,136
Average annual pay: $50,657; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	418	34.4	1.65×More than typical	4,158	$69,468	726
Specialty trade contractors	371	30.5	1.97×More than typical	2,427	$68,475	813
Lessors of real estate	245	20.2	1.64×More than typical	751	$48,776	1,895
Restaurants and other eating places	242	19.9	1.08×About typical	5,543	$23,237	36
Offices of other health practitioners	205	16.9	2.78×More than typical	659	$41,854	521
Construction of buildings	202	16.6	2.20×More than typical	1,113	$65,260	454
Legal services	159	13.1	2.43×More than typical	754	$80,923	169
Services to buildings and dwellings	155	12.8	1.89×More than typical	879	$28,783	502
Management, scientific and technical consulting	139	11.4	1.71×More than typical	498	$58,197	611
Building equipment contractors	134	11	1.83×More than typical	1,199	$69,053	68
Real estate agents and brokers	120	9.9	2.03×More than typical	244	$49,020	322
Automotive repair and maintenance	106	8.7	1.73×More than typical	555	$46,737	83

Rank places for an industry Open Missoula County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 121,504 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 $74.7K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Lolo, Montana: $17.32 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $74.7K; −56% vs FY2025
Per resident: $17.32; US $1,994
Sole-source: 9.3%; US 30%
Single offer: 57%; 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

Forest Service$68.4K92%
Bureau of Land Management$4,7996.4%
Departmental Offices$1,4712.0%
Department of Veterans Affairs$31.150.0%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

204KFY2017
289.2KFY2018
58.9KFY2019
40.8KFY2020
123.8KFY2021
93.4KFY2022
215.1KFY2023
176.8KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Support activities for forestry · 1153$31.6K42%
Museums, historical sites, and similar institutions · 7121$7,3539.8%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$6,1178.2%
Special food services · 7223$3,4694.6%
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors · 2381$3,1664.2%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 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 Lolo, Montana, so they do not add up across cities.

Lolo, Montana's figures are part of those of Missoula County, MT ($93M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

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

See federal money in Missoula 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.

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

House

Ryan K. ZinkeR-MT-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 3.0%

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.

Missoula County86100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Missoula, MT90

Other cities and towns in Missoula 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/3044650

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends