Carter County, Montana: commercial real estate data.
Carter County, Montana had an estimated 1,399 residents on July 1, 2024, down 1.1 percent since the 2020 census base of 1,414, across 3,341 square miles. County output reached $92.1 m in 2024, 28 establishments operate here.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Carter County
How many people live in Carter County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20241,308
- 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-equivalents, Puerto Rico included3168th of 3,222
Carter County is the 50th largest of 56 Montana counties by population. A median home costs 3.7 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable 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 story product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Carter County
Is Carter County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20241,399
- Census 2020 base population1,414
- Population change since the 2020 census base-1.06 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-1
- 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 of 3,144
The county has lost 1.06 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 by more than net migration added, so the population fell even though more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Carter County
What is the Carter County economy?
- 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 the Montana areas BEA publishes50th of 56
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes3066th of 3,127
- 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
Employment by industry in Carter County
- Covered employment, annual average326
- Establishments reporting56
- Average annual pay$44,945
- Average weekly wage$864
- Retail trade, employment31
- Retail trade, average annual pay$35,761
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 31 | 4 | $35,761 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 31 jobs, 9.5 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Carter County
How many businesses are 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. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Carter County
Building permits in Carter County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$0
- Single family units authorized0
- Multifamily units authorized0
No residential units were authorized 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 large 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 boundary6
- 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.
Carter County
Flood risk in Carter County
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book1
- Of those, participating in the NFIP1
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Carter County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The EPA places Carter County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
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.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20241,308
- 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?
The Census Bureau estimates 1,399 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 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's population growing?
The population has fallen 1.06 percent since the 2020 census base of 1,414, to 1,399 on July 1, 2024. 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 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 employment by industry in Carter County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 31 jobs, 9.5 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 326 jobs at an average annual pay of $44,945, or $864 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How many building permits were issued in Carter County?
No residential units were authorized 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.
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?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Carter County
Cities and places in Carter.
2 Census places lie wholly or partly in Carter County. All 2 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ekalaka | town | 276 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Alzada | CDP | 13 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |