Medicine Lake, Montana Population and Demographics

Published: October 1, 2020 6:18 pm

Population, Race and Ethnicity

Medicine Lake is a town in Sheridan County, Montana, with a population of 284. According to the most recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, 97.20% of residents identify as white, 0.00% as Black or African American, 1.10% as American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.00% as Asian, 0.00% as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 0.00% as Hispanic or Latino, and 1.80% as some other race or combination of races.

Nationally, some 61.1% of Americans identify as white, 12.3% as Black or African American, 0.7% as American Indian or Alaska Native, 5.4% as Asian, 0.2% as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 17.8% as Hispanic or Latino, and 2.6% as some other race or combination of races.

Ancestry

Census respondents are also asked to report ancestry. Some of the most commonly reported ancestries in Medicine Lake include German, Norwegian, English, European, and Danish. Measured by location quotient — comparing the town share to the national share — some of the most highly concentrated ancestries in town are Icelander, Danish, and Scandinavian.

Native and foreign-born population

An estimated 97.20% of Medicine Lake residents are native-born, meaning they were born in the United States, Puerto Rico, a U.S. Island Area, or abroad to a U.S. citizen. Of the 2.80% of the population that is foreign-born, 75.00% have become naturalized U.S. citizens. Nationwide, 86.5% of Americans are native-born. And of the 13.5% of Americans who are foreign-born, 48.5% have become naturalized U.S. citizens.

Age

The population of Medicine Lake is about as old as the United States as a whole. The median age is 37.6 years, 0.3 years less than the national median age of 37.9 years. An estimated 19.40% of the population is 65 years and over, compared to 15.2% of the U.S. population.

Family and household composition

Family and household composition also varies heavily across the United States. In Medicine Lake, 38.30% of households are occupied by married-couple families, compared to the 48.3% national figure. Some 4.00% of households are occupied by single male householders, 2.70% by single female householders, and 55.00% by non-family occupants. Nationwide, 4.9% of households are occupied by single male householders, 12.6% by single female householders, and 34.3% by non-family occupants. An estimated 73.80% of heads of household own their homes, compared to the national homeownership rate of 63.8%.

Language spoken

English is by far the most commonly spoken language in Montana and across the U.S. as a whole. Similarly, in Medicine Lake, 100% of local residents aged 5 and up speak English exclusively, or, if they are multilingual, speak English very well. For context, 99.1% of the 5 and older population across Montana only speaks English, or speak it very well, and 91.5% of the same age group nationwide do.

Marital status

Residents of Medicine Lake are slightly more likely than the typical American to be married. Of all local residents aged 15 and older, 49.8% are currently married, compared to 48.1% of Americans nationwide in the same age group. Across Montana as a whole, 51.7% of residents 15 and older are married.

Divorce is slightly more common in Medicine Lake than it is across the U.S. as a whole. According to Census estimates, 10.9% of residents 15 and older are divorced — compared to 10.8% of the U.S. population in the same age group. In Montana, 12.5% of the 15 and older population is divorced.

An estimated 27.9% of Medicine Lake residents 15 and older have never married, compared to one-third of all Americans in the same age group.

Veterans

In Medicine Lake, 10.6% of the 18 and older civilian population are veterans — compared to 7.5% of adult civilians nationwide and 10.5% of the civilian population in all of Montana.

Educational attainment

In Medicine Lake, adults are more likely to have a high school education than the typical American adult, but are less likely to have a four-year college education. Among Medicine Lake residents 25 and older, 95.20% have a high school diploma or equivalent, and 29.50% have a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 87.7% and 31.5% of adults nationwide, respectively. Across Montana, 93.2% of adults have graduated high school, and 31.2 have a bachelor’s degree.

Income

The typical household in Medicine Lake earns $46,250 a year, about $14,000 less than the national median of $60,293 and $6,300 less than the median household income across the state of $52,559.

Poverty

Serious financial hardship is less common in Medicine Lake than it is nationwide. The local poverty rate stands at 2.80%, while the national poverty rate is 14.1%. Across the state as a whole, 13.7% of the population lives below the poverty line.