Housing Market Overview
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Pondera County | Montana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $105,000 | $242,768 | $242,182 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | -4.2% | 4.0% | 8.2% |
| Median Gross Rent | $806 | $1,031 | $1,342 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 5.4% | 5.1% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Pondera County is about 57% lower than in Montana. Rent is about 22% lower than the Montana average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2023
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2023
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Pondera County: home prices fell about 4.2% a year while rent rose about 5.4% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
Median rent in Pondera County rose about 48.2% between 2015 and 2023, from $544 to $806. Over the same span, rent in Montana rose about 45.0%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 2.0 yearly household incomes in Pondera County.
Buying the median-priced home in Pondera County costs roughly 10.9 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Pondera County. The price-to-rent ratio in Montana is about 19.6.
| Metric | Pondera County | Montana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $105,000 | $242,768 | $242,182 |
| Median Household Income | $52,562 | $69,624 | $78,145 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 2.0 | 3.5 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2023, the median home price in Pondera County fell about 82.0%, while median household income rose about 59.0% between 2009 and 2023 — income grew faster than the home price.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | Pondera County | Montana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 54.2% | 60.1% | 58.2% |
| Rental Rate | 27.1% | 26.5% | 31.3% |
| Vacancy Rate | 18.6% | 13.4% | 10.6% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 20.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2006 | 2011 | 2011 |
Pondera County has a homeownership rate of 54.2%, lower than the Montana average of 60.1%. Its housing vacancy rate is 18.6%, compared with 13.4% in Montana.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Pondera County | Montana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.59 people | 2.38 people | 2.54 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1963 | 1980 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Pondera County was built around 1963. On average, 2.6 people live in a home with about 5.6 rooms, staying for about 20.0 years on average.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Pondera County, Montana.
What is the median home price in Pondera County, Montana?
The median home price in Pondera County, Montana is $105,000, lower than the Montana average of $242,768.
What is the average home price in Pondera County, Montana?
The typical home price in %s, reported as the median sale price, is %s. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in Pondera County, Montana?
The median gross rent in Pondera County, Montana is $806 per month, lower than the Montana average of $1,031.
What was the median gross rent in Pondera County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Pondera County, Montana was $671 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Pondera County, Montana?
The price-to-rent ratio in Pondera County, Montana is about 10.9, meaning it would take roughly 10.9 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Pondera County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Pondera County, Montana?
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Pondera County: home prices fell about 4.2% a year while rent rose about 5.4% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
What is the homeownership rate in Pondera County, Montana?
54.2% of households in Pondera County, Montana own their home, lower than the Montana average of 60.1%.
What is the vacancy rate in Pondera County, Montana?
The housing vacancy rate in Pondera County, Montana is 18.6%, higher than the Montana average of 13.4%.