Carter County, Montana: commercial real estate data.
Carter County, Montana has a population of 1,308 across 3,341 square miles, down 1.1 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $92.1 m in 2024, 28 establishments operate here.
64 sourced county values · tier FULL · 8 sections
Carter County
How many people live in Carter County
- Population1,308
- Households600
- Average household size2.18
- Median household income$54,167
- Median age56.9
- Median gross rent$824 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$199,200
- Home value to household income3.7 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher20.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over996
- Population under 18231
- Share under 1817.7 percent
- Population 65 and over407
- Share 65 and over31.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64670
- Civilian labor force633
- Unemployment rate2.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over58.8 percent
- Rank by population among Montana counties50th of 56
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents3168th
Carter County is the 50th largest of 56 Montana counties by population. A median home costs 3.7 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 31.1 percent against 17.7 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Carter County
Is Carter County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-1.06 percent
- Census 2020 base population1,414
- Births, 202410
- Deaths, 202422
- Natural change, 2024-12
- Net domestic migration, 202410
- Net international migration, 20240
- Total net migration, 202410
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 202425
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2208th
The county has lost 1.06 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Carter County
Where people moving to Carter County come from
- Adjusted gross income arriving$0
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Largest single originCarter County Non-migrants (470 households)
- Largest single destination (470 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carter County Non-migrants | 470 | 997 | $30.1 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Carter County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Carter County
What the Carter County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$92.1 m
- County GDP, 2023$53.1 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 202473.4 percent
- GDP change over five years97.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among Montana counties50th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents3066th
- GDP per resident$70,433
Output grew 73.4 percent in the latest year and 97.2 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Carter County
Who employs people in Carter County
- Covered employment, annual average326
- Establishments reporting56
- Average annual pay$44,945
- Average weekly wage$864
- Sector 44-45, employment31
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$35,761
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 31 | 4 | $35,761 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 31 jobs, 9.5 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Carter County
What businesses operate in Carter County
- Establishments, all industries28
- Employment at those establishments197
- Annual payroll$7.0 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents21.4
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Carter County
What is being built in Carter County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$0
- Single family units authorised0
- Multifamily units authorised0
No residential units were authorised by permit in 2024. In a small county this is common and is not by itself a sign of distress, but it does mean there is no recent residential pipeline to read demand from.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Carter County
How big is Carter County
- Land area3,341 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Montana counties15th of 56
- Width, east to west48.4 mi
- Height, north to south78.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land0
- Establishments per square mile0.01
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No 7(a) approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2020 onward.
- No 504 approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2010 onward.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Carter County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Carter County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population1,308
- Households600
- Average household size2.18
- Median household income$54,167
- Median age56.9
Common questions
Carter County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Carter County, Montana?
1,308, in 600 households, ranking 50th of 56 Montana counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Carter County growing?
The population has fallen 1.06 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 10 births against 22 deaths, with net migration of 10. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Carter County?
$54,167. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $199,200, which is 3.7 times income, and median gross rent is $824 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Carter County?
28 establishments, employing 197 people with an annual payroll of $7.0 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Carter County?
Average annual pay is $44,945, or $864 a week, across 326 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
What is being built in Carter County?
No residential units were authorised by permit in 2024. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Carter County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Carter County come from?
The largest single origin is Carter County Non-migrants, with 470 households. Arriving households report an average income of null against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Carter County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Carter County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.