Big Sandy, Montana Population and Demographics

Population, Race and Ethnicity

Big Sandy is a town in Chouteau County, Montana, with a population of 527. According to the most recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, 91.80% of residents identify as white, 0.00% as Black or African American, 4.90% as American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.60% as Asian, 0.00% as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 0.00% as Hispanic or Latino, and 2.70% 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 Big Sandy include German, American, Norwegian, English, and European. Measured by location quotient — comparing the town share to the national share — some of the most highly concentrated ancestries in town are Slovene, Danish, and Austrian.

Native and foreign-born population

An estimated 98.30% of Big Sandy 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 1.70% of the population that is foreign-born, 77.80% 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 Big Sandy is older than the United States as a whole. The median age is 46.8 years, 8.9 years more than the national median age of 37.9 years. An estimated 25.40% 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 Big Sandy, 46.50% of households are occupied by married-couple families, compared to the 48.3% national figure. Some 4.60% of households are occupied by single male householders, 3.70% by single female householders, and 45.20% 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 77.90% 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 Big Sandy, 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 Big Sandy are slightly less likely than the typical American to be married. Of all local residents aged 15 and older, 47.7% 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 more common in Big Sandy than it is across the U.S. as a whole. According to Census estimates, 12% 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 31% of Big Sandy residents 15 and older have never married, compared to one-third of all Americans in the same age group.

Veterans

In Big Sandy, 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 Big Sandy, 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 Big Sandy residents 25 and older, 90.70% have a high school diploma or equivalent, and 26.20% 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 Big Sandy earns $42,321 a year, about $18,000 less than the national median of $60,293 and $10,200 less than the median household income across the state of $52,559.

Poverty

Serious financial hardship is more common in Big Sandy than it is nationwide. The local poverty rate stands at 15.40%, while the national poverty rate is 14.1%. Across the state as a whole, 13.7% of the population lives below the poverty line.

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