Pondera County, Montana

• White (non-Hispanic) 4,760 78.9%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race) 154 2.6%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 1 0.0%
• Asian (non-Hispanic) 60 1.0%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic) 180 3.0%
• American Indian / Alaska Native (non-Hispanic) 880 14.6%
• Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) 0 0.0%
• Some other race (non-Hispanic) 0 0.0%

• Under 18 1,434 23.8%
• 18–24 444 7.4%
• 25–44 1,384 22.9%
• 45–64 1,454 24.1%
• 65 and over 1,319 21.9%

Median household income

$63,135

90% interval $57,398–$68,872

−$12,385 vs MT · 32nd of 56

Below poverty line

15.8%

90% interval 11.9%–19.7%

+5.4 pp vs MT · 8th of 56

Unemployment (12-mo)

3.7%

+0.25 pp vs. state

County GDP

$302.1M

0.39% of state

Avg. annual pay

$47,172

Establishments

221

• Trade, transportation & utilities 373 24.5%
• Education & health services 171 11.2%
• Construction 159 10.4%
• Leisure & hospitality 135 8.9%
• Public administration 111 7.3%
• Professional & business services 100 6.6%
• Financial activities 91 6.0%
• Other services 40 2.6%

The sectors listed cover 77.5% of covered employment; BLS withholds the rest to avoid disclosing individual employers.

Home ownership

67.7%

−1.5 pp vs MT · 42nd of 56

Median gross rent

$784

−$297 vs MT · 32nd of 56

Owner-occupied

1,536

Renter-occupied

732

• Diversified

  Top three sectors employ 46% of the workforce, a relatively diversified local economy. Expect mixed employer backgrounds on the panel rather than concentration in any one institution or industry.

• Wide wage spread

  Highest-paid sector (Financial activities, $58,927/yr) pays 4.6× the lowest (Leisure & hospitality, $12,932/yr). Stark intra-economy class divisions on the panel; calibrate damages and lost-wages framing to that range.

• Small-business scale

  Average establishment employs only 6.9 workers, a small-business-dominated local economy. Expect more self-employed and small-business-owner panelists than in institutional-employer venues.

• Republican 1,972 69.1%
• Democratic 782 27.4%
• Other / third-party 98 3.4%

• German or other West Germanic 456 8.1%
• Spanish 89 1.6%
• French, Haitian, or Cajun 8 0.1%

Households

2,268

Family households

1,436

63.3% of households

Married couples w/ children

396

27.6% of families

Single-mother families

77

5.4% of families

Veterans

339

7.4% of civilians 18+

• Catholic 1,642 27.8%
• Evangelical Protestant 1,428 24.2%
• Mainline Protestant 244 4.1%
• Other (non-Christian + minor traditions) 211 3.6%

Health insured

91.8%

±1.7 pp

Uninsured

8.2%

±1.7 pp

22nd of 56

With a disability

19.2%

±2.6 pp

8th of 56

Bachelor's or higher

20.1%

±3.2 pp

−15.1 pp vs MT · 51st of 56

Uninsured, under 65 (2024)

17.3%

90% interval 15.5%–19.1% · Census SAHIE

The under-65 uninsured rate is not comparable to the ACS insurance figures, which cover all ages.

Trial court

9th Judicial District Court

Judges

1 (District Court judges per district (general civil + criminal jurisdiction); Justice Court judges (limited jurisdiction) separate. Vintage 2026 courts.mt.gov; counts cross-checked against MCA § 3-5-102 statutory allocations. Several single-judge rural districts (5th, 9th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd) carry one District Court judgeship each.)

Court seats

Choteau, Conrad, Cut Bank, Shelby

This judicial district spans multiple counties.

Traffic fatalities

3

65.2 per 100k adults (18+)

Fatal crashes

3