Jefferson County, Montana: commercial real estate data.
Jefferson County, Montana has a population of 12,774 across 1,656 square miles, up 10.1 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $392.8 m in 2024, 342 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 16 7(a) approvals worth $11.4 m.
120 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Jefferson County
How many people live in Jefferson County
- Population12,774
- Households4,996
- Average household size2.56
- Median household income$95,490
- Median age47.1
- Median gross rent$925 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$446,900
- Home value to household income4.7 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income11.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher32.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree12.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over9,426
- Population under 182,555
- Share under 1820.0 percent
- Population 65 and over2,961
- Share 65 and over23.2 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 647,258
- Civilian labor force6,445
- Unemployment rate4.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over63.1 percent
- Rank by population among Montana counties16th of 56
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2300th
Jefferson County is the 16th largest of 56 Montana counties by population. A median home costs 4.7 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 23.2 percent against 20.0 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.
Jefferson County
Is Jefferson County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base10.11 percent
- Census 2020 base population12,082
- Births, 2024111
- Deaths, 2024138
- Natural change, 2024-27
- Net domestic migration, 2024244
- Net international migration, 20243
- Total net migration, 2024247
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,303
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents145th
The county has grown 10.11 percent 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.
Jefferson County
Where people moving to Jefferson County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving551
- People arriving, from those returns1,103
- Adjusted gross income arriving$52.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$95,078
- Largest single originJefferson County Non-migrants (4,827 households)
- Largest single destination (4,827 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County Non-migrants | 4,827 | 10,308 | $476.8 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 198 | 388 | $22.3 m |
| Lewis and Clark County | 160 | 341 | $14.3 m |
| Other flows - West | 146 | 283 | $12.2 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 90 | 163 | $5.1 m |
| Gallatin County | 66 | 139 | $6.7 m |
| Silver Bow County | 37 | 72 | $4.0 m |
| Other flows - South | 31 | 66 | $7.7 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Jefferson 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.
Jefferson County
What the Jefferson County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$392.8 m
- County GDP, 2023$366.3 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20247.2 percent
- GDP change over five years46.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among Montana counties30th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2559th
- GDP per resident$30,750
Output grew 7.2 percent in the latest year and 46.5 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.
Jefferson County
Who employs people in Jefferson County
- Covered employment, annual average2,711
- Establishments reporting495
- Average annual pay$54,570
- Average weekly wage$1,049
- Sector 23, employment411
- Sector 23, average annual pay$56,492
- Sector 44-45, employment183
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$31,879
- Sector 31-33, employment182
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$77,064
- Sector 56, employment160
- Sector 56, average annual pay$62,175
- Sector 81, employment69
- Sector 48-49, employment53
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 23 | 411 | 102 | $56,492 |
| Sector 44-45 | 183 | 26 | $31,879 |
| Sector 31-33 | 182 | 14 | $77,064 |
| Sector 56 | 160 | 34 | $62,175 |
| Sector 81 | 69 | 33 | $38,338 |
| Sector 48-49 | 53 | 13 | $37,410 |
| Sector 11 | 42 | 13 | $44,461 |
| Sector 52 | 39 | 16 | $62,441 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 411 jobs, 15.2 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.
Jefferson County
What businesses operate in Jefferson County
- Establishments, all industries342
- Employment at those establishments1,959
- Annual payroll$90.4 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents26.8
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.
Jefferson County
What is being built in Jefferson County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202413
- Declared construction value permitted$4.7 m
- Single family units authorised13
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$361,818
- Units authorised per 1,000 households2.6
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Jefferson County
How much SBA lending happens in Jefferson County
- 7(a) approvals recorded16
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$11.4 m
- Average 7(a) approval$715,081
- Median 7(a) approval$455,000
- 10th percentile approval$77,700
- 90th percentile approval$1,734,600
- Largest single approval$4,079,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)354
- Jobs per approval22.1
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active9
- Distinct industries receiving approvals13
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer6.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter15
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals12.5 percent
- Leading industry by approval countPharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (3)
- Most active lenderFirst Internet Bank of Indiana (3)
- 504 approvals recorded3
- 504 gross approval dollars$1.2 m
- Average 504 approval$388,000
- Median 504 approval$219,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval7.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved18.0
- Most active CDCBig Sky Economic Development Corporation (2)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals84.2 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$12.6 m
The average approval of $715,081 sits well above the median of $455,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 6.3 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Jefferson County
Do SBA loans in Jefferson County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded4
- Paid in full4
- Charged off0
- Status: Cancelled2
- Status: Exempt from disclosure9
- Status: Paid in full4
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 4 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Jefferson County
Which parts of Jefferson County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending5
- Clancy, approvals6
- Boulder, approvals4
- WHITEHALL, approvals3
- Montana City, approvals2
- CARDWELL, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Clancy | 6 | $5,684,000 |
| Boulder | 4 | $3,289,600 |
| WHITEHALL | 3 | $1,656,700 |
| Montana City | 2 | $805,000 |
| CARDWELL | 1 | $6,000 |
Clancy accounts for 6 approvals against 4 in Boulder. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Jefferson County
How big is Jefferson County
- Land area1,656 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Montana counties42nd of 56
- Width, east to west44 mi
- Height, north to south56.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary7
- Residents per square mile of land8
- Establishments per square mile0.21
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 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population12,774
- Households4,996
- Average household size2.56
- Median household income$95,490
- Median age47.1
Common questions
Jefferson County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Jefferson County, Montana?
12,774, in 4,996 households, ranking 16th of 56 Montana counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Jefferson County growing?
The population has grown 10.11 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 111 births against 138 deaths, with net migration of 247. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Jefferson County?
$95,490. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $446,900, which is 4.7 times income, and median gross rent is $925 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Jefferson County?
342 establishments, employing 1,959 people with an annual payroll of $90.4 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 Jefferson County?
Average annual pay is $54,570, or $1,049 a week, across 2,711 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Jefferson County?
16 7(a) approvals totalling $11.4 m since FY2020, across 9 lenders, with a median approval of $455,000, plus 3 504 approvals worth $1.2 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Jefferson County?
13 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $4.7 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Jefferson 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 Jefferson County come from?
The largest single origin is Jefferson County Non-migrants, with 4,827 households. Arriving households report an average income of $95,078 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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.