Carter County, Montana Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Carter County is located in Montana with a total population of 1,361. It is the 50th most populous county out of 56 in Montana. The county encompasses 2 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Carter County is 56.7 years. This is 41% higher than the state median of 40.2 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Carter County is $52,171. This is 25% lower than the state median of $69,922. It is also 34% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 13.8%. This is 14% higher than the state poverty rate of 12.0%. The unemployment rate is 3.6%. This is 3% lower than the state rate of 3.8%. The median home value is $176,600. Housing costs are 48% lower than the state median of $338,100. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.4x. 61.6% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 11% lower than the state average of 69.4%.

Race & Ethnicity

Carter County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 92.0% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 2.4%. The Black or African American population (0.1%) is well below the state average of 0.5%.

Education

20.3% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 41% lower than the state rate of 34.5%. Nationally, 35.0% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 93.3%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Carter County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023), with comparisons drawn against Montana and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.