Is Deer Lodge, MT a Good Place to Live?
Deer Lodge is a small town of 3,030 in Montana, with a median household income of $52,813 and a 3.4% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 91 (US average = 100), which is 9% below the national average.
Strengths: Deer Lodge stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, lower-than-average crime, solid school ratings (B-), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Deer Lodge is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Deer Lodge city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 91.3Deer Lodge's overall cost of living index is 91.3, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Deer Lodge costs roughly 9% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Deer Lodge, MT | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $191,800 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $768 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 66.2% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $52,813 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Safer than AverageDeer Lodge's violent crime rate is 461.7 per 100,000 residents — 22% higher than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
Deer Lodge is served primarily by Deer Lodge Elem. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13.7:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Deer Lodge, MT | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | Deer Lodge Elem | — |
| Elementary Schools | 1 | — |
| Middle Schools | 1 | — |
| High Schools | N/A | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 13.7:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 21.4% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 96.9% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Deer Lodge sees average highs of 33.2°F in January and 79.1°F in July, with 14.6 inches of annual precipitation and 75.1 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Deer Lodge, MT |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 33.2°F |
| Average High — July | 79.1°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 14.6" |
| Annual Snowfall | 75.1" |
Demographics
| Metric | Deer Lodge, MT | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,030 | — |
| Median Age | 49.9 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 3.4% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 12.9 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 94.9% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 0.0% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1.1% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 1.8% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 16.7% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 27.1% | 16.8% |