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West Yellowstone, MT

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

1,474
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

31.4
years ∙ half population younger than 31.4, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
53.4%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

22%
foreign-born population
78%Native
22% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

West Yellowstone is a town within Gallatin County, Montana, United States.
Location
Town in Gallatin County, MT, US
Co-ordinates
DEC44.662183° N, 111.107022° W
DMS44° 39′ 43.86″ N, 111° 06′ 25.28″ W

Population Density & area

1,623/sq mi (627/km²)
Total Area
0.908 sq mi (2.351 km²)
Land Area
0.908 sq mi (2.351 km²) · 100%
Water Area
0 sq mi (0 km²) · 0%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

49.5% male
Male 49.5%
Female 50.5%
males per 100 females
West Yellowstone 97.9
Gallatin County 109.9
Montana 102.7

Nativity

22%
foreign-born population
78%Native
22% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
West Yellowstone 22%
Gallatin County 4.1%
Montana 2.3%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

31.4
years ∙ half population younger than 31.4, half older
West Yellowstone
31.4
Gallatin County
34.2
Montana
40.4

Dependency ratio

Low High
57.6
dependents per 100 working-age adults
West Yellowstone 57.6
Gallatin County 47.9
Montana 69.9

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
West Yellowstone Gallatin County Montana
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 27.9% 18.8% 21%
Working age (18-64) 63.4% 67.6% 58.9%
Senior (65+) 8.7% 13.6% 20.1%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 57.6 47.9 69.9
Child dependency ratio 44 27.8 35.7
Old-age dependency ratio 13.7 20.1 34.2
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
53.1%
Black
0%
Asian
1.3%
Hispanic
42.8%
Other
2.8%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
53.4%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
West Yellowstone 53.4%
Gallatin County 23%
Montana 29.4%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of West Yellowstone population
Racial and ethnic composition — West Yellowstone vs Gallatin County vs Montana. Source: ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates.
West Yellowstone Gallatin County Montana
Hispanic or Latino 42.8% 5.4% 4.6%
Mexican 42% 2.8% 2.9%
Puerto Rican 0% 0.3% 0.2%
Cuban 0% 0.2% 0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino 0.8% 2.1% 1.3%
Not Hispanic or Latino 57.2% 94.6% 95.4%
One race 54.4% 90.6% 90.7%
White 53.1% 87.5% 83.6%
Black or African American 0% 0.4% 0.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0% 0.5% 5.3%
Asian 1.3% 1.2% 0.8%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0%
Some Other Race 0% 0.8% 0.5%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 2.8% 4% 4.7%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

58.6% family
Family 58.6%
Non family 41.4%
% family households
West Yellowstone 58.6%
Gallatin County 56.6%
Montana 60.3%

Average household size

2.79
persons per household
West Yellowstone
2.79
Gallatin County
2.33
Montana
2.37

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of West Yellowstone population
West Yellowstone Gallatin County Montana
Total households 493 51,215 458,859
Average houshold size 2.79 2.33 2.37
Family households 289 28,982 276,731
Average family size 3.67 2.86 3
Married couple family 229 24,579 222,207
Other families 60 4,403 54,524
Male householder 37 1,685 19,995
Female householder 23 2,718 34,529
Non-family households 204 22,233 182,128
One-person households 149 12,852 144,042
Male householder 59 6,697 71,216
Senior (65+) living alone 0 1,474 24,799
Female householder 90 6,155 72,826
Senior (65+) living alone 0 2,586 38,387
Other living arrangements 55 9,381 38,086

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

855
housing units
West Yellowstone 855
Gallatin County 57,568
Montana 528,419

Occupancy status

57.7% occupied
Occupied 57.7%
Vacant 42.3%
vacancy rate
West Yellowstone 42.3%
Gallatin County 11%
Montana 13.2%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

40.8%
Single family houses
Single family houses
40.8%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
50.1%
Mobile homes
7.7%
Boat, RV, van, etc
1.4%

Median Year Built

1988
Half of houses were built before 1988, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
7.3%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
17.6%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
48.4%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
26.7%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
West Yellowstone Gallatin County Montana
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 3.8 5.5 5.6
1–3 rooms 45.6% 13.7% 14.6%
4–6 rooms 30% 51.7% 49.7%
7+ rooms 24.4% 34.6% 35.9%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 17.9% 2.1% 2.7%
1 bedroom 25% 8.3% 10.3%
2 bedrooms 18.5% 24.5% 25.7%
3 bedrooms 25.5% 40.4% 36.5%
4+ bedrooms 13.1% 24.7% 24.8%
At a glance
Median year built 1988 1998 1981
Total housing units 855 57,568 528,419
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

39.1% owners
Renter-occupied 60.9%
Owner-occupied 39.1%
homeownership rate
West Yellowstone 39.1%
Gallatin County 61.1%
Montana 69.2%

Average household size

3.85
Owner-occupied
2.11
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
West Yellowstone 3.85
Gallatin County 2.46
Montana 2.49

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
West Yellowstone Gallatin County Montana
Total occupied units 493 51,215 458,859
Year moved in
2020 or later 34.5% 33% 25.5%
2010 to 2019 46.5% 43.2% 39.7%
2000 to 2009 13.6% 13.1% 15.9%
1999 or earlier 5.5% 10.7% 18.9%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 78.9% 98% 98.2%
1.01 to 1.50 13% 1.1% 1.2%
1.51 or more 8.1% 0.8% 0.7%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 7.5% 2.4% 4.7%
1 vehicle 38.7% 24.3% 26.9%
2 vehicles 43.4% 42.5% 36.9%
3 or more vehicles 10.3% 30.8% 31.5%
House heating fuel used
Gas 26% 63.6% 63.5%
Electricity 66.5% 31.1% 27.3%
Solar 0% 0.2% 0.2%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0.2% 0.6%
All other fuels 7.5% 4.1% 7.9%
No fuel used 0% 0.8% 0.5%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0% 0.1% 0.5%
Lacking complete kitchen 1.6% 0.4% 0.9%
No telephone service available 0% 1.1% 1.1%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$504,300
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
West Yellowstone
$504,300
Gallatin County
$667,600
Montana
$375,800

Housing Cost Burden

12.5%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
12.5%
Owners without a mortgage
19.1%
Renters
45%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
West Yellowstone Gallatin County Montana
Property value
Median Value $504,300 $667,600 $375,800
Under $100,000 19.7% 4.4% 10.2%
$100,000 - $200,000 0% 2.3% 11.2%
$200,000 - $300,000 4.1% 3.9% 15.9%
$300,000 - $500,000 25.4% 20.2% 30.8%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 50.8% 48.4% 24.9%
$1,000,000 and more 0% 20.8% 7%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 45.6% 62.5% 54.5%
Without a mortgage 54.4% 37.5% 45.5%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $2,167 $2,299 $1,798
Without a mortgage $619 $750 $571
Gross rent
Median rent $1,045 $1,694 $1,081

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

25.1%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
West Yellowstone 25.1%
Gallatin County 54.3%
Montana 35.2%

Adults without a high school diploma

16.6%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
West Yellowstone 16.6%
Gallatin County 2.8%
Montana 5.4%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

287
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
0%
K–12
88.9%
College / Undergraduate
11.1%
Graduate / Professional
0%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

15.9%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
West Yellowstone
15.9%
Gallatin County
62.3%
Montana
34.5%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
West Yellowstone Gallatin County Montana
Total enrolled (age 3+) 287 33,963 240,826
Nursery / preschool 0% 3.9% 5.2%
K–12 88.9% 49.2% 70.6%
Kindergarten 4.2% 3.8% 5.3%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 19.5% 15.2% 21.7%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 20.9% 17.1% 22%
High School: Grades 9–12 44.3% 13.1% 21.7%
College or graduate school 11.1% 46.9% 24.2%
College, undergraduate 11.1% 39.2% 19.1%
Graduate, professional school 0% 7.7% 5%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 15.9% 62.3% 34.5%
School type
Public school 89.2% 85.2% 84%
Private school 10.8% 14.8% 16%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

862
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
14.4%
9th-12th, no diploma
2.2%
HS graduate
18%
Some college no degree
33.9%
Associates degree
6.5%
Bachelors degree
16.1%
Graduate or professional degree
8.9%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
81.5% · 18.5%
9th-12th, no diploma
52.6% · 47.4%
HS graduate
51.6% · 48.4%
Some college no degree
30.1% · 69.9%
Associates degree
26.8% · 73.2%
Bachelors degree
70.5% · 29.5%
Graduate or professional degree
40.3% · 59.7%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
West Yellowstone Gallatin County Montana
Population (25+) 862 81,048 781,264
Less than 9th grade 14.4% 1% 1.6%
9th–12th, no diploma 2.2% 1.8% 3.8%
High school diploma or GED 18% 17.2% 27.5%
Some college, no degree 33.9% 19.3% 22.4%
Associate's degree 6.5% 6.5% 9.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher 25.1% 54.3% 35.2%
Bachelor's degree 16.1% 34% 23.2%
Graduate or professional 8.9% 20.3% 12%
High School or higher 83.4% 97.2% 94.6%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$35,114
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$32,115
HS graduate
$53,950
Some college or associates
$32,347
Bachelors degree
$36,250
Graduate or professional degree
$2,499

Poverty Rate

0%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
27.3%
HS graduate
0%
Some college or associates
7.2%
Bachelors degree or higher
0%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
West Yellowstone Gallatin County Montana
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $35,114 $57,338 $46,951
Less than high school graduate $32,115 $33,720 $33,639
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $53,950 $46,447 $38,073
Some college or associate's degree $32,347 $49,030 $42,611
Bachelor's degree $36,250 $62,371 $55,623
Graduate or professional degree $2,499 $75,807 $72,265
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 27.3% 16.6% 26.8%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 0% 7.8% 13.1%
Some college or associate's degree 7.2% 6% 9.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher 0% 3.8% 4.7%
Insights for West Yellowstone, by topic

About Neilsberg Research

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