Demographics of Custer County, Montana

Custer County, Montana had 12,034 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +174 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Custer County, in four figures

12,034
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +1.5%
Change since July 2020: +174 people.; 42.7 ±0.4
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $70,605 ±$6,843
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Custer County, Montana's population grew 1.5% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Custer County, Montana's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change

About this chart

The figures

Custer County, Montana's population grew 1.5% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Custer County, Montana's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	11,860	100.0	100.0
2021	11,960	100.8	100.2
2022	11,997	101.2	100.7
2023	12,003	101.2	101.6
2024	11,977	101.0	102.5
2025	12,034	101.5	103.1

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Population of Custer County, Montana on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	11,860	−2	0	0	−4
2021	11,960	+100	−44	+1	+141
2022	11,997	+37	−52	−1	+93
2023	12,003	+6	−15	−1	+22
2024	11,977	−26	+5	+8	−38
2025	12,034	+57	+4	+4	+49

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 42.7 ±0.4: for men 42.4 ±0.6 and for women 44.2 ±1.5. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Custer County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Montana	United States
Under 5	571 ±23	4.8% ±0.2	5.2% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	1,798 ±115	15.0% ±1.0	15.8% ±0.2	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	924 ±123	7.7% ±1.0	9.0% ±0.2	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	3,004 ±171	25.1% ±1.4	25.8% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	3,182 ±208	26.6% ±1.7	24.1% ±0.2	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	2,482 ±200	20.8% ±1.7	20.1% ±0.2	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $70,605 ±$6,843, and income per person $36,392 ±$1,880, in 2024 dollars. The median is $72,509 ±$761 in Montana and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Custer County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Montana	United States
Under $25,000	851 ±183	16.9% ±3.6	15.0% ±0.4	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	1,080 ±163	21.4% ±3.2	19.4% ±0.5	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	759 ±140	15.1% ±2.7	17.3% ±0.4	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	720 ±148	14.3% ±2.9	13.6% ±0.4	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	952 ±159	18.9% ±3.1	17.4% ±0.4	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	389 ±89	7.7% ±1.8	8.2% ±0.3	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	287 ±75	5.7% ±1.5	9.0% ±0.3	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Custer County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Montana	United States
All ages	1,299 ±247	11.3% ±2.2	11.5% ±0.3	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	51 to 205	2.3% to 9.2%	12.7% ±0.6	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	836 ±182	14.1% ±3.0	11.7% ±0.4	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	335 ±86	10.1% ±2.5	10.3% ±0.4	11.0% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Custer County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Custer County	Montana	United States
Housing units	5,784 ±24	528,419 ±3,257	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	87.1% ±2.6	86.8% ±0.5	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	12.9% ±2.6	13.2% ±0.3	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	69.9% ±2.7	69.2% ±0.6	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	30.1% ±3.1	30.8% ±0.4	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$219,100 ±$8,904	$375,800 ±$3,433	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$893 ±$101	$1,081 ±$14	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1965 ±6	1981 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Custer County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Montana	United States
Hispanic or Latino	409 ±0	3.4% ±<0.1	4.6% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	10,648 ±115	89.0% ±1.0	83.6% ±0.2	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	0 to 11	0% to 0.1%	0.4% ±<0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	23 to 85	0.2% to 0.7%	0.8% ±0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	217 ±65	1.8% ±0.5	5.3% ±0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 18	0% to 0.2%	< 0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 44	0% to 0.4%	0.5% ±0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	608 ±134	5.1% ±1.1	4.7% ±0.2	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Custer County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Montana	United States
Born in the state	7,687 ±272	64.3% ±2.3	52.1% ±0.5	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	4,084 ±271	34.1% ±2.3	44.8% ±0.4	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	12 to 54	0.1% to 0.5%	0.8% ±0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	157 ±70	1.3% ±0.6	2.3% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	38 to 134	0.3% to 1.1%	1.2% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	24 to 118	0.2% to 1.0%	1.1% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Custer County among the counties of Montana

17th of 56 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Montana page.

Counties of Montana near Custer County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Hill County	16,167	−0.5%
Sanders County	14,062	+12.9%
Glacier County	13,463	−2.0%
Jefferson County	13,329	+9.8%
Big Horn County	12,752	−2.5%
Custer County	12,034	+1.5%
Fergus County	11,825	+3.1%
Carbon County	11,466	+9.1%
Richland County	11,377	−1.3%
Roosevelt County	10,242	−5.2%
Beaverhead County	10,043	+7.1%

Elsewhere on the site

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026