City · Lake County, Montana

Polson, Montana

Polson is a city in Lake County, Montana. It has 5,428 residents. Polson, Montana has a quality-of-life score of 31 out of 100 (low), ranking #10,869 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Montana it ranks #83 of 94 cities and towns. It ranks best on high school diploma or higher (high), new homes permitted (high) and average commute time (low). It ranks worst on suicide rate (high), firearm deaths (high) and mental health care shortage (high).

31Low

Quality-of-life score: #10,869 of 15,651 cities and towns
Montana: #83 of 94 in MT
Population: 5,428 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 1,161.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 3058750

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.

Safety8#14,427/15,637
Economy24#11,928/15,631
Housing70#4,422/14,977
Health29#11,052/15,609
Healthcare36#10,080/15,650
Environment14#13,268/15,453
Education47#8,323/15,649
Infrastructure27#11,376/15,650
Community69#4,907/15,651
Leisure & amenities77#3,586/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Polson, Montana ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Lake 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 · high91.5%
97/100Montana 94.6%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
New homes permitted · high17.7 /1k
95/100Montana 4.9 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Average commute time · low19.7 min
94/100Montana 19.1 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Preventable hospital stays · low1,707 /100k
93/100Montana 1,824 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLake County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low110 min
93/100Montana 123 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesLake County value
Job growth · high1.8%
87/100Montana 0.6%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataLake County value

Weaknesses

Suicide rate · high42.0 /100k
1/100Montana 30.3 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataLake County value
Firearm deaths · high39.0 /100k
1/100Montana 23.6 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataLake County value
Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100Montana 15.3United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationLake County value
Comfortable days · low22.9%
7/100Montana 22.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationLake County value
Child care cost burden · high40.9%
7/100Montana 40.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLake County value
Home price to income ratio · high6.7×
8/100Montana 5.2×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077

Trends

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

PopulationRising
4,918 (2015-2019) → 5,428 (2020-2024)
+10%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
5.6 /1k (2021) → 17.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+215%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
33.9% (2015-2019) → 49.9% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
28.5% (2015-2019) → 16.3% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
74.1% (2015-2019) → 85.0% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$37,054 (2015-2019) → $53,418 (2020-2024)
+44%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

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, Polson, Montana improved on 2 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 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.

Improved2

Household income+44%$37,054 → $53,418
Broadband+11 points74.1% → 85.0%

Declined2

Price / income+1.6×5.1× → 6.7×
Rent burden+16 points33.9% → 49.9%

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Polson, Montana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	13.9 min2015-2019	19.7 min2020-2024	+5.8 min	Within the margin of error	8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	31.5%2015-2019	29.6%2020-2024	−2 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Broadband subscriptions	74.1%2015-2019	85.0%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	64%
Child poverty rate	28.5%2015-2019	16.3%2020-2024	−12 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Effective property tax rate	0.86%2015-2019	0.65%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	61%
High school diploma or higher	94.0%2015-2019	91.5%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Home price to income ratio	5.1×2015-2019	6.7×2020-2024	+1.6×	Declined	7%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4252015-2019	0.4552020-2024	+0.030	Within the margin of error	27%
Median household income	$37,0542015-2019	$53,4182020-2024	+44%	Improved	79%
Poverty rate	19.3%2015-2019	17.5%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	61%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	23.9%2015-2019	30.0%2020-2024	+6.1 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Rent-burdened households	33.9%2015-2019	49.9%2020-2024	+16 points	Declined	13%
Unemployment rate	8.2%2015-2019	7.9%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	18.9%2015-2019	14.0%2020-2024	−4.9 points	Within the margin of error	86%

“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 Polson, Montana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Polson, 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, Polson, Montana itself moved −13.9 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

5,428 residents (±23)

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

2,380 households (±216)

Polson, Montana
Montana share

Under $25k27%634
$25k–50k19%461
$50k–75k18%†435

Homes

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

Owners and renters

2,380 households (±216)

Polson, Montana
Montana share

Own55%1,299
Rent45%1,081

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

2,192 workers (±278)

Polson, Montana
Montana share

Drive alone82%1,797
Carpool6.6%†145
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 Lake County, the county holding most of Polson's residents.

Lake County has 991 employer establishments, 298 for every 10,000 residents (1.20× the US rate of 248; 0.79× Montana's), with 7,817 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,036. The Census Bureau also counts 2,912 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 991; 2,912 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 298; US 248 · Montana 376
Paid employees: 7,817
Average annual pay: $47,036; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	131	39.5	2.55×More than typical	341	$48,106	271
Construction of buildings	81	24.4	3.23×More than typical	202	$47,213	229
Restaurants and other eating places	61	18.4	1.00×About typical	682	$18,430	6
Ambulatory health care services	54	16.3	0.78×Fewer than typical	488	$53,449	117
Lessors of real estate	42	12.6	1.03×About typical	45	$44,933	353
Other specialty trade contractors	37	11.1	4.44×More than typical	112	$57,554	96
Building equipment contractors	36	10.8	1.80×More than typical	101	$44,050	30
Services to buildings and dwellings	35	10.5	1.56×More than typical	231	$42,818	177
Building finishing contractors	30	9	2.38×More than typical	53	$30,566	88
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	28	8.4	2.68×More than typical	75	$51,853	57
Full-service restaurants	28	8.4	1.10×About typical	317	$20,243	—
Offices of other health practitioners	28	8.4	1.39×More than typical	93	$34,387	70

Rank places for an industry Open Lake County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 33,206 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 -$3,041 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Polson, Montana: -$0.56 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: -$3,041
Per resident: -$0.56; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

DOCTOR DOWN, INC.-$2.600.0%
REHBEIN ENTERPRISES INC-$3,0390.0%

Spending by fiscal year

175.3KFY2017
192.2KFY2018
58KFY2019
37.5KFY2020
29.1KFY2021
-6.7KFY2022
-7.6KFY2023
-2.9KFY2024

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 Polson, Montana, so they do not add up across cities.

Polson, Montana's figures are part of those of Lake County, MT ($201.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Lake 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.

Polson, 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.

Lake County39100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Lake 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
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
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/3058750

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends