Lincoln County, Montana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Lincoln County, MT Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageLess healthy than 79% of counties in Montana
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 89% of counties in Montana
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D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 78% of counties in Montana
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Lincoln County | Montana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 21,175 | 1,116,812 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 5.8 | 7.6 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.20% | 1.09% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 53.7 | 40.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 9,082 | 458,835 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Lincoln County grew by 13.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 21,175 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Lincoln County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 29.0% of residents. That is 9.6 points above Montana as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,100 14.6% -6.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,349 15.8% -4.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,831 22.8% +3.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 6,140 29.0% +9.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Montana, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.4% of the people living in Lincoln County and men 50.6%.
- Women 49.4% Montana 49.4%
- Men 50.6% Montana 50.6%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Lincoln County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Lincoln County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Lincoln County | Montana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $47,976 | $72,476 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.88% | 5.17% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.1% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Lincoln County is about 34% lower than in Montana.
Housing
| Metric | Lincoln County | Montana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $362,903 | $249,140 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $762 | $1,081 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.6% | 69.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Lincoln County is about 39.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $762 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Lincoln County spend about 22 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 93 hours, about 3.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Lincoln County | Montana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 11.2 | 16.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 22.4 | 32.1 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 93 | 134 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $2,893 | $4,143 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 15.5% | 12.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 813 | 2,162 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 427 | 403 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Montana:
Treasure County (7.2 min), Rosebud County (8.2 min), Fallon County (8.4 min).
Slowest:
Broadwater County (30.3 min), Stillwater County (27.8 min), Granite County (23.3 min).
The average commute time in Lincoln County is 11 minutes, shorter than the 16 minutes in Montana.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Lincoln County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Lincoln County | Montana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.1% | 31.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.30 | 2.37 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Montana:
Gallatin County (0.4), Missoula County (0.3), Lewis and Clark County (0.3).
Lowest:
Liberty County (0.2), Toole County (0.2), Wheatland County (0.2).
Health
Lincoln County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Lincoln County | Montana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.8 | 79.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.5% | 14.7% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.4% | 18.8% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Montana:
Gallatin County (0.8), Missoula County (0.8), Granite County (0.8).
Lowest:
Glacier County (0.7), Big Horn County (0.8), Roosevelt County (0.8).
Lincoln County, MT Compared With Nearby Counties
How Lincoln County, MT compares with the 2 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County, MT | 21,175 | $47,976 #3/3 | $362,903 #3/3 | 11.2 min #1/3 |
| Bonner County, ID | 51,033 | $67,293 | $879,683 | 17.9 min |
| Flathead County, MT | 110,697 | $73,879 | $442,215 | 17.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Lincoln County, Montana.
How many people live in Lincoln County, Montana?
About 21,175 people live in Lincoln County, Montana, in 9,082 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 53.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 16 years.
How densely populated is Lincoln County, Montana?
Averaged over its land area, Lincoln County, Montana has 6 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 7% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Lincoln County, Montana an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 7.6 times the median household income ($362,903 against $47,976), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $762 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Lincoln County, Montana have a college degree?
17.1% of adults in Lincoln County, Montana hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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