county

Petroleum County, MT

Demographic and economic profile of Petroleum County, MT, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Petroleum County is a sparsely populated rural county of just 401 residents, with its economy reflecting the agricultural and extractive-industry character common to central Montana's high plains. The labor force is extremely tight—unemployment sits at 0.9%—with 64.1% labor force participation, median worker earnings of $37,250, and 27.1% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. The county has shed 7.2% of its population over the past five years, skews older at a median age of 51.6, and offers low housing costs with a median home value of $173,700 and median gross rent of $769/month.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

401

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$60,208

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

51.6 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-7.2% since 2018

Petroleum County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone442 (98.9%)
  • Asian Alone3 (0.7%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone2 (0.4%)
  • Black or African American Alone0 (0.0%)
  • Native Hawaiian & Other Pacific Islander Alone0 (0.0%)
  • Some Other Race Alone0 (0.0%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

Not yet cached for this geography.

Population Under 18

13.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

58.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

27.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

0.9%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

62

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$43,848

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$39,877

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

0.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

6.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining84
  2. 2.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance46
  3. 3.Construction (Group)24
  4. 4.Retail Trade (Group)24
  5. 5.Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities23

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations92
  2. 2.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations67
  3. 3.Sales & Office Occupations41
  4. 4.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations18
  5. 5.Service Occupations17

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

Not yet cached for this geography.

Housing

Median Home Value

$173,700

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$769/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

72.9%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $250,000 to $299,99928 (17.4%)
  • $200,000 to $249,99918 (11.2%)
  • $500,000 to $749,99918 (11.2%)
  • $60,000 to $69,99917 (10.6%)
  • $175,000 to $199,99916 (9.9%)
  • $150,000 to $174,99915 (9.3%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

27.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

98.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

64.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$37,250

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

16.2 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

0.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone117 (49.8%)
  • Walked57 (24.3%)
  • Worked At Home36 (15.3%)
  • Carpooled25 (10.6%)
  • Public Transit0 (0.0%)
  • Taxi0 (0.0%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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More on FDI Connect

Compare Petroleum County against other US geographies, save it to your shortlist, see active property listings on the interactive map, and unlock the full demographic dashboard.

Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.