Census-designated place · Glacier County, Montana

South Browning, Montana

South Browning is a census-designated place in Glacier County, Montana. It has 1,538 residents. South Browning, Montana has a quality-of-life score of 11 out of 100 (very low), ranking #13,882 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Montana it ranks #93 of 94 cities and towns. It ranks best on time spent in the emergency room (low), distance to an Amtrak station (low) and average commute time (low). It ranks worst on frequent mental distress (high), adult smoking (high) and mammography screening (low).

11Very low

Quality-of-life score: #13,882 of 15,651 cities and towns
Montana: #93 of 94 in MT
Population: 1,538 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 657.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 3069680

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.

Safety17#12,899/15,637
Economy0#15,598/15,631
Housing—
Health0#15,596/15,609
Healthcare9#14,259/15,650
Environment94#986/15,453
Education17#13,036/15,649
Infrastructure28#11,253/15,650
Community7#14,593/15,651
Leisure & amenities69#4,903/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Time spent in the emergency room · low77 min
99/100Montana 123 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesGlacier County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low3 mi
99/100Montana 117 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauGlacier County value
Average commute time · low12.3 min
98/100Montana 19.1 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Median Air Quality Index · low23
97/100Montana 332025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyGlacier County value
High school diploma or higher · high81.4%
96/100Montana 94.6%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Hot days · low1 days
96/100Montana 15 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationGlacier County value

Weaknesses

Frequent mental distress · high26.5%
0/100Montana 19.0%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Adult smoking · high33.9%
0/100Montana 15.1%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Mammography screening · low21.0%
0/100Montana 47.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGlacier County value
Mental health care shortage · high21.0
0/100Montana 15.3United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationGlacier County value
Reading scores · low2.29
0/100Montana 3.08United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGlacier County value
Lack of reliable transportation · high28.2%
1/100Montana 8.1%United States 8.3%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.

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
46.7% (2015-2019) → 78.3% (2020-2024)
+32 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
52.8% (2015-2019) → 35.7% (2020-2024)
−17 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
42.4% (2015-2019) → 54.2% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
High school diploma or higherWorsening
91.7% (2015-2019) → 81.4% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Median household incomeImproving
$17,450 (2015-2019) → $26,101 (2018-2022)
+50%3 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $74,755
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
18.6% (2015-2019) → 9.3% (2020-2024)
−9.3 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, South Browning, Montana improved on 1 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 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+32 points46.7% → 78.3%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of South Browning, Montana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	12.1 min2015-2019	12.3 min2020-2024	+0.2 min	Within the margin of error	44%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.6%2015-2019	9.3%2020-2024	−9.3 points	Within the margin of error	2%
Broadband subscriptions	46.7%2015-2019	78.3%2020-2024	+32 points	Improved	98%
Child poverty rate	52.8%2015-2019	35.7%2020-2024	−17 points	Within the margin of error	91%
High school diploma or higher	91.7%2015-2019	81.4%2020-2024	−10 points	Within the margin of error	1%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4972015-2019	0.5492020-2024	+0.052	Within the margin of error	16%
Poverty rate	44.8%2015-2019	42.2%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	27.2%2015-2019	32.5%2020-2024	+5.3 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Rent-burdened households	42.4%2015-2019	54.2%2020-2024	+12 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	33.2%2015-2019	24.4%2020-2024	−8.8 points	Within the margin of error	95%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 10944 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 South Browning, Montana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of South Browning, 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, South Browning, Montana itself moved −20.5 points in standing on average over the same 7 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

1,538 residents (±286)

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

571 households (±109)

South Browning, Montana
Montana share

Under $25k51%†293
$25k–50k24%†135
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

571 households (±109)

South Browning, Montana
Montana share

Own38%†216
Rent62%355

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

† 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

438 workers (±142)

South Browning, Montana
Montana share

Drive alone86%†375
Carpool11%†50
Public transit

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 Glacier County, the county holding most of South Browning's residents.

Glacier County has 230 employer establishments, 170 for every 10,000 residents (0.68× the US rate of 248; 0.45× Montana's), with 1,846 paid employees at an average annual pay of $55,367. The Census Bureau also counts 712 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 230; 712 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 170; US 248 · Montana 376
Paid employees: 1,846
Average annual pay: $55,367; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	23	17	0.92×About typical	190	$22,595	3
Traveler accommodation	12	8.9	4.91×More than typical	104	$116,558	12
Limited-service restaurants	11	8.1	1.01×About typical	132	$16,864	—
Specialty trade contractors	10	7.4	0.48×Fewer than typical	14	$62,214	78
Full-service restaurants	9	6.6	0.86×Too few to compare	54	$35,685	—
Ambulatory health care services	8	5.9	0.28×Too few to compare	75	$64,840	18
Lessors of real estate	7	5.2	0.42×Too few to compare	6	$17,833	33
Religious organizations	7	5.2	0.93×Too few to compare	18	$10,389	—
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	6	4.4	1.67×Too few to compare	17	$35,471	4
Gasoline stations	6	4.4	1.37×Too few to compare	135	$22,667	—
Auto parts, accessories and tire stores	5	3.7	2.11×Too few to compare	22	$51,636	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	5	3.7	0.73×Too few to compare	32	$41,719	11

Rank places for an industry Open Glacier County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 13,550 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Glacier 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.

South Browning, 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.

Glacier County26100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Glacier 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/3069680

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends