What is the poverty rate in Montana?
Updated monthly
About 10.2% of Montana’s population in 2024. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2024, 113,684 people in Montana were considered in poverty.
10.2%
of the population (2024)
114K
people living under the poverty line (2024)
The state's poverty rate was 10.2% in 2024, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 1.5 percentage points lower than the previous year. Montana's poverty rate hit a peak in 2013 of 16.5%.
In 2024, 10.2% of Montana population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2024, 113,684 people living in Montana were in poverty — down 30.5% from the 2013 peak of 163,637.
In 2024, 113,700 people in Montana were in poverty.
People living under poverty line
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
From 2014 to 2024, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Montana decreased from 18.5% to 11%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 16.2% to 10.2%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 8.3% to 9.6%.
In 2024, 11% of children in Montana were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group
Among racial or ethnic groups in Montana during 2024, three had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: American Indian and Alaska Native, Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race), and two or more races.
Five had a lower than average poverty rate: Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, some other race, White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the Asian population shifted the most, decreasing from 23.3% in 2014 to 9.3% in 2024.
In Montana, the poverty rate for the Asian population decreased from 23.3% in 2014 to 9.3% in 2024.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Montana counties ranged from 4.2% in McCone County to 30.6% in Roosevelt County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Yellowstone County — was 10.2%.
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Montana counties ranged from 4.2% to 30.6%.
Poverty rate
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
