Population 193 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
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Population and households in Polaris
Household size in Polaris
| Period | Polaris | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.26 | 2.41 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.17 | 2.45 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.33 | 2.44 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.27 | 2.44 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.01 | +0.03 | −0.03 |
Households in Polaris are small: just 2.27 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Polaris
| Period | Polaris | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 45.4 | 39.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 54.2 | 40.8 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 56.4 | 41.5 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 43.0 | 41.5 | 40.1 |
| Change | −2.4 | +1.6 | +2.3 |
Polaris skews older than the country: its median age is 43.0, against 40.1 nationally. The picture is much the same across Montana. Since 2006–10, the median age has dropped from 45.4, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Polaris
| Period | Polaris | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.8% | 9.4% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 3.2% | 9.8% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 3.6% | 8.7% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 1.7% | 8.8% | 11.6% |
| Change | −8.0 pts | −0.6 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 1.7% of households in Polaris, well below the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Polaris
Renters in Polaris
| Period | Polaris | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 28.2% | 31.0% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 26.5% | 32.3% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 13.8% | 31.9% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 17.3% | 30.8% | 34.8% |
| Change | −11.0 pts | −0.1 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 17.3% of households in Polaris rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Nearly six in ten owners (57.5%) have paid off their mortgages, well above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Polaris
| Period | Polaris | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 31.7% | 13.2% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 32.5% | 13.9% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 29.9% | 14.1% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 18.7% | 12.2% | 9.6% |
| Change | −12.9 pts | −0.9 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 18.7% of the housing in Polaris, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Polaris
| Period | Polaris | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1976 | 1974 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1983 | 1977 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1989 | 1978 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1995 | 1982 | 1980 |
| Change | +19 | +7 | +6 |
Polaris has newer housing than the country as a whole: the median home was built in 1995, versus 1980 nationally.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Polaris
| Period | Polaris | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $473 | $703 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $486 | $775 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $557 | $870 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $698 | $1,189 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$225 | +$487 | +$606 |
Rent in Polaris runs $698 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent takes 22.9% of the typical renter's income, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Polaris
Bachelor's degrees in Polaris
| Period | Polaris | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 34.0% | 28.7% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 22.0% | 29.8% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 39.8% | 32.2% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 36.6% | 35.3% | 35.6% |
| Change | +2.6 pts | +6.6 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are about as common in Polaris as nationally: 36.6% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Polaris
| Period | Polaris | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 89.8% | 91.2% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 91.8% | 92.6% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 95.8% | 93.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 97.5% | 94.6% | 89.3% |
| Change | +7.7 pts | +3.4 pts | +4.3 pts |
Finishing high school is nearly universal in Polaris: 97.5% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Polaris
| Period | Polaris | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.2% | 5.7% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 1.4% | 6.9% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 1.3% | 4.2% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 2.4% | 3.7% | 5.4% |
| Change | −0.8 pts | −2.0 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Polaris has been low: just 2.4% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Polaris compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polaris | 2.27 | 43.0 | 1.7% | 17.3% | 18.7% | 1995 | $698 | 36.6% | 97.5% | 2.4% |
| Bannack | 2.28 | 46.0 | 1.4% | 18.5% | 23.1% | 1990 | $702 | 32.6% | 96.0% | 2.8% |
| Jackson | 2.09 | 58.7 | 4.2% | 27.2% | 36.7% | 1981 | $713 | 32.8% | 95.1% | 1.3% |
| Glen | 2.26 | 43.7 | 3.0% | 41.1% | 12.9% | 1990 | $911 | 35.7% | 97.5% | 0.8% |
| Wisdom | 2.09 | 58.7 | 4.2% | 27.2% | 36.7% | 1981 | $713 | 32.8% | 95.1% | 1.3% |
| Melrose | 2.40 | 41.9 | 1.8% | 14.4% | 17.8% | 1996 | $836 | 38.8% | 98.3% | 2.8% |
| Dillon | 2.25 | 41.0 | 6.1% | 36.1% | 13.4% | 1982 | $836 | 39.7% | 92.1% | 1.1% |
| Wise River | 2.15 | 55.9 | 4.3% | 22.0% | 38.9% | 1983 | $749 | 34.9% | 95.1% | 1.5% |
| Divide | 2.75 | 43.5 | 1.5% | 6.0% | 26.8% | 1990 | $1,073 | 44.4% | 99.2% | 4.6% |
| Grant | 2.26 | 57.9 | 1.3% | 24.8% | 38.9% | 1973 | $714 | 21.2% | 91.5% | 3.6% |
| Anaconda-Deer Lodge County | 2.11 | 47.8 | 7.1% | 0.3% | 59.2% | 1991 | $731 | 40.2% | 92.6% | 0.0% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Elevenpoint, AR · Endeavor, PA · Emery Mill, TN · Emblem, WY · Ely, TX · Elsmere, NE · Elroy, OH · Ellsworth, NE · Elliston, IN · Elkhorn, WV
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Polaris. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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