County profile

Beaverhead County

Montana · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
9,713
Median household income
$61,268
People below poverty
11.4%
Median home value
$308,300

Income

The median income of households in Beaverhead County, Montana was $61,268. An estimated 5.4% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 5.5% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Beaverhead County, Montana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 5.4
$10,000 to $14,999 6
$15,000 to $24,999 6.7
$25,000 to $34,999 6.8
$35,000 to $49,999 13.8
$50,000 to $74,999 20.6
$75,000 to $99,999 15
$100,000 to $149,999 14.9
$150,000 to $199,999 5.4
$200,000 or more 5.5

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Beaverhead County, Montana in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 54207
Female 47348

An estimated 73.6% of households received earnings. An estimated 38.2% of households received Social Security and an estimated 26 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $22,015. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Beaverhead County, Montana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 73.6
Social Security 38.2
Retirement income 26
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 2.7
Cash public assistance income 4

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 11.4 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 7.2% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 10.9% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 12.9% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Beaverhead County, Montana in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 11.4
Children under 18 years below poverty 7.2
People 65 years old and over below poverty 10.9
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 12.9

In 2020-2024, 7.2 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 22.7% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 27.3% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 31.9% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Beaverhead County, Montana in 2020-2024, 95.7% had health insurance coverage and 4.3% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 71.6% and public coverage was 44.8%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 3.3%.


In 2020-2024, Beaverhead County, Montana had a total population of 9,713 - 4,734 (48.7%) females and 4,979 (51.3%) males. The median age was 43.2 years. An estimated 17.5% of the population was under 18 years, 31.4% was 19 to 44 years, 24.5% was 45 to 64 years, and 23.8 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Beaverhead County, Montana in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 254 230
5 to 9 222 183
10 to 14 184 265
15 to 19 396 246
20 to 24 385 486
25 to 29 274 256
30 to 34 344 248
35 to 39 349 259
40 to 44 186 255
45 to 49 262 215
50 to 54 240 243
55 to 59 300 253
60 to 64 403 461
65 to 69 468 394
70 to 74 237 284
75 to 79 238 220
80 to 84 159 93
85 and over 78 143

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 91.3% were White; 0.5% were Black or African American; 14.1% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.3% were Asian; 0.5% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 5.9% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 5.2% of the people in Beaverhead County, Montana were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 89.1% of the people in Beaverhead County, Montana were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 4,201 households in Beaverhead County, Montana. The average household size was 2.21 people.

Married-couple households made up 48.2% of the households in Beaverhead County, Montana while cohabiting couple households made up 6.6% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 18.6% of all households, while 26.6% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 23.2% of households were male householders living alone, and 13.1% were female householders living alone, for a total of 36.3% of all households.

In Beaverhead County, Montana, 21.6% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 36% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Beaverhead County, Montana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 48.2
Cohabiting Couples 6.6
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
26.6
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
18.6

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 46.6% of males and 55.4% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 33.4 25
Now married, except separated 46.6 55.4
Separated 0.9 0.2
Widowed 1.9 8.1
Divorced 17.1 11.3

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Beaverhead County, Montana, 118 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 3.4% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 98.4% of the people living in Beaverhead County, Montana were U.S. natives. 52.4% of the Beaverhead County, Montana population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 1.6% of Beaverhead County, Montana residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 5.2% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 78.1 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Beaverhead County, Montana come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Beaverhead County, Montana.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Beaverhead County, Montana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 73.5
Asia 20
Europe 0.6
Africa 0
Northern America 0
Oceania 5.8

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Beaverhead County, Montana in 2020-2024, 4 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 2.7% of people at least five years old; 1.8% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Beaverhead County, Montana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 2.7
Other Indo-European languages 0.7
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.6
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 83.1 % of the people at least one year old living in Beaverhead County, Montana were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Beaverhead County, Montana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 83.1
Different house, same county 6.4
Different county, same state 4.9
Different state 5.2
Abroad 0.5

Education

In 2020-2024, 92.7 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 37.7% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 7.3% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Beaverhead County, Montana was 1,731 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 83 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 966. College or graduate school enrollment was 682.

Educational Attainment of People in Beaverhead County, Montana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 7.3
High school diploma or equivalency 24.8
Some college, no degree 21.2
Associate's degree 9
Bachelor's degree 27.3
Graduate or professional degree 10.4

Disability

In Beaverhead County, Montana, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 17.4 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 4.1% of people under 18 years old, to 16.7% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 28.5% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Beaverhead County, Montana, 55.9 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 43.4% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 71.9% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 17.2% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 10.8 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 3,319 71.9
Federal, state, or local government workers 793 17.2
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 499 10.8

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Beaverhead County, Montana worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Beaverhead County, Montana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 14.4
Construction 9.6
Manufacturing 5
Wholesale trade 1.9
Retail trade 8.5
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 2.5
Information 0.5
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 5.1
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 7.4
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 27.4
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 9.4
Other Services, except public administration 4.8
Public administration 3.6

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Beaverhead County, Montana in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 1,831 39.6
Service occupations 773 16.7
Sales and office occupations 794 17.2
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 682 14.8
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 539 11.7

Commuting to Work

An estimated 72.8% of Beaverhead County, Montana workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 10.4% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 19.3 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Beaverhead County, Montana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 72.8
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 10.4
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 1.3
Walked 3.8
Other means 2.6
Worked from home 9.2

In 2020-2024, Beaverhead County, Montana had a total of 4,981 housing units. Of these housing units, 71.2% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 11.1% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 17.5% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Beaverhead County, Montana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 71.2
Apartments in multi-unit structures 11.1
Mobile homes 17.5
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

9.2% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 13.5% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Beaverhead County, Montana was 5.7 rooms, and of these housing units 63.7% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Beaverhead County, Montana had 4,201 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 780 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 65.8% while renters occupied 34.2%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.33 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.97.

2.1% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 11.6% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 0.8% and another 34.1% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Beaverhead County, Montana:

House Heating Fuel Used in Beaverhead County, Montana in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 47.9
Electricity 30.9
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.3
All other fuels 20.9
No fuel used 0

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Beaverhead County, Montana was $308,300.

Of the owner-occupied households, 42.2 % had a mortgage. 57.8% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,476 and for owners without a mortgage it was $436.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Beaverhead County, Montana was $837. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.