Deer Lodge County, Montana: commercial real estate data.
Deer Lodge County, Montana had an estimated 9,811 residents on July 1, 2024, up 4.1 percent since the 2020 census base of 9,425, across 737 square miles. County output reached $431.3 m in 2024, 312 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 3 7(a) approvals worth $679,500 since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Deer Lodge County
How many people live in Deer Lodge County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20249,597
- Households4,473
- Average household size2.15
- Median household income$57,527
- Median age49.9
- Median gross rent$696 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$231,700
- Home value to household income4.0 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income14.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher24.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over7,649
- Population under 181,155
- Share under 1812.0 percent
- Population 65 and over2,528
- Share 65 and over26.3 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 645,914
- Civilian labor force4,704
- Unemployment rate3.4 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over55.7 percent
- Rank by population among Montana counties23rd of 56
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2517th of 3,222
Deer Lodge County is the 23rd largest of 56 Montana counties by population. A median home costs 4.0 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 26.3 percent against 12.0 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.
Deer Lodge County
Is Deer Lodge County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20249,811
- Census 2020 base population9,425
- Population change since the 2020 census base4.10 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024126
- Births, 202476
- Deaths, 2024100
- Natural change, 2024-24
- Net domestic migration, 2024149
- Net international migration, 20240
- Total net migration, 2024149
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024547
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents671st of 3,144
The county has grown 4.10 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 and the population still grew, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration 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.
Deer Lodge County
Where are people moving to Deer Lodge County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving299
- People arriving, from those returns514
- Tax returns filed by households leaving259
- Net household movement40
- Adjusted gross income arriving$19.7 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$2.8 m
- Average income of an arriving household$65,870
- Average income of a leaving household$65,069
- Largest single originSilver Bow County (58 households)
- Largest single destinationSilver Bow County (69 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Bow County | 58 | 108 | $3.8 m |
| Missoula County | 21 | 32 | $1.2 m |
Households arriving report $801 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is Silver Bow County, 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.
Deer Lodge County
What is the Deer Lodge County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$431.3 m
- County GDP, 2023$421.4 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20242.3 percent
- GDP change over five years47.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Montana areas BEA publishes28th of 56
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2496th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$44,937
Output grew 2.3 percent in the latest year and 47.2 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.
Deer Lodge County
Employment by industry in Deer Lodge County
- Covered employment, annual average3,422
- Establishments reporting350
- Average annual pay$53,260
- Average weekly wage$1,024
- Health care and social assistance, employment816
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$73,369
- Accommodation and food services, employment349
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$18,289
- Retail trade, employment348
- Retail trade, average annual pay$32,504
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment274
- Administrative and support and waste management services, average annual pay$66,365
- Construction, employment138
- Manufacturing, employment118
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 816 | 51 | $73,369 |
| Accommodation and food services | 349 | 38 | $18,289 |
| Retail trade | 348 | 36 | $32,504 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 274 | 16 | $66,365 |
| Construction | 138 | 38 | $66,099 |
| Manufacturing | 118 | 15 | $55,389 |
| Other services, except public administration | 69 | 21 | $39,829 |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 57 | 11 | $20,959 |
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 816 jobs, 23.8 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Deer Lodge County
How many businesses are in Deer Lodge County?
- Establishments, all industries312
- Employment at those establishments2,957
- Annual payroll$147.7 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents32.5
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.
Deer Lodge County
Building permits in Deer Lodge County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 202420
- Declared construction value permitted$5.8 m
- Single family units authorized20
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$289,272
- Units authorized per 1,000 households4.5
Single-family homes are 100.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Deer Lodge County
SBA loans in Deer Lodge County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded3
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$679,500
- Average 7(a) approval$226,500
- Median 7(a) approval$102,500
- Largest single approval$475,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)7
- Jobs per approval2.3
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active1
- Distinct industries receiving approvals1
- Median 7(a) term60 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer33.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter2
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countOther Building Material Dealers (3)
- Most active lenderBank of Bridger National Association (3)
- 504 approvals recorded3
- 504 gross approval dollars$1.5 m
- Average 504 approval$503,000
- Median 504 approval$392,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval3.3
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved6.6
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$2.2 m
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.
Deer Lodge County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Deer Lodge County
Do SBA loans in Deer Lodge County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded3
- Paid in full3
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full3
Only 3 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Deer Lodge County
How large is Deer Lodge County?
- Land area737 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Montana counties55th of 56
- Width, east to west46.1 mi
- Height, north to south34.6 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land13
- Establishments per square mile0.42
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.
Deer Lodge County
Flood risk in Deer Lodge 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 Deer Lodge County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The EPA places Deer Lodge 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 Deer Lodge 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 Deer Lodge County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20249,597
- Households4,473
- Average household size2.15
- Median household income$57,527
- Median age49.9
Common questions
Deer Lodge County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Deer Lodge County, Montana?
The Census Bureau estimates 9,811 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 9,597, in 4,473 households, ranking 23rd of 56 Montana counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Deer Lodge County's population growing?
The population has grown 4.10 percent since the 2020 census base of 9,425, to 9,811 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 76 births against 100 deaths, with net migration of 149. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Deer Lodge County?
$57,527. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $231,700, which is 4.0 times income, and median gross rent is $696 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Deer Lodge County?
312 establishments, employing 2,957 people with an annual payroll of $147.7 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 Deer Lodge County?
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 816 jobs, 23.8 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 3,422 jobs at an average annual pay of $53,260, or $1,024 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Deer Lodge County?
3 7(a) approvals totaling $679,500 since FY2020, across 1 lenders, with a median approval of $102,500, plus 3 504 approvals worth $1.5 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Deer Lodge County?
20 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $5.8 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Deer Lodge 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 Deer Lodge County come from?
The largest single origin is Silver Bow County, with 58 households. Arriving households report an average income of $65,870 against $65,069 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Deer Lodge 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 Deer Lodge 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.
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