Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Strong in places, weak in others. Incomes are its weak spot: the median household income is $58K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line. Where it does best is hazard risk (A). A typical home there costs about $303K, 5.3 years of the county’s $58K median household income. It is strong on walkability as well (B+) — it is more walkable than three quarters of U.S. towns. Overall, that makes a C, better than a quarter of U.S. towns. Its place in the ranking is 30th of 41 in Montana. Its National Register listings include Anaconda Copper Mining Company Smoke Stack and Washoe Theater.
Figures: FEMA National Risk Index · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Anaconda-Deer Lodge County beats most towns.
Deer Lodge County Courthouse
Census counts: 4,367 in 1870, a peak of 18,640 in 1960, 9,421 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and 3 maps from 1908 on.
32 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Montana), ordered by how far Anaconda-Deer Lodge County is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County.
Anaconda-Deer Lodge County keeps more of its land conserved than most of Montana, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns.
Its 291,015 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in any other Montana town.
Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness, at 55,047 acres with 30.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Walkers can cover 409 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. In Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, the trail network density is 0.6 miles per square mile, near both the Montana town median (0.7) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4).
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mount Haggin Wildlife Management Area | 33.5 mi | 49,002 |
| 2. Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness | 30.3 mi | 55,047 |
| 3. Garrity Mountain Wildlife Management Area | 15.3 mi | 10,091 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Two of the 4 schools are below, and why each made the list. The largest public high school is Anaconda Sr High School, with 305 students. The public schools here belong to the Anaconda Elementary District.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln PrimaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 290 | – |
| Anaconda Sr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 305 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MT on state tests and graduation
In Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, the FEMA risk score is 13 of 100, below both Montana’s towns (42 of 100) and U.S. towns (44 of 100). Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 68% come from avalanches and 13% from cold waves. Since 1996, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out locally.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Home values rose 47% in five years, to about $303K, against 23% across Montana.
Typical home values rose 3.4% in the year to September 2026. Anaconda-Deer Lodge County’s going rate for rent stands at $696 a month. On the market locally: a median 80 days to sell.
| Anaconda-Deer Lodge County | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $696 a month | $1,004 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 66.9°, cooler than in 100% of U.S. towns; January nights average 14.7°.
Expect cold winters and cool summers in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County. The January low in the town is 15°F.
| Anaconda-Deer Lodge County | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 67°F | 85°F | 85°F |
| January low | 15°F | 15°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 8,177 U.S. towns with household incomes like Anaconda-Deer Lodge County’s, it is healthier than 63%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
The share of adults in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County who say their health is fair or poor: 23%. Only 4 of the 41 Montana towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Anaconda-Deer Lodge County. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County is ahead of Montana on 1 and behind on 15.
| Anaconda-Deer Lodge County | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 31% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 32% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Anaconda-Deer Lodge County | MT |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 76.9% | 73.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.9% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County grew by 197 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 3,056. 41% of the town’s working residents work right in town. For Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, the typical journey to work is 19 minutes. Half commute less than 21 miles.
| Anaconda-Deer Lodge County | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 41% | 37% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $68,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Anaconda-Deer Lodge County; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Anaconda-Deer Lodge County residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
61.7% of the town is conserved land, across 17 parks and preserves.
32 places in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County on the National Register of Historic Places.
County in Montana, United States
Deer Lodge County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,421. It forms a consolidated city-county government with its county seat of Anaconda. The county was established in 1865. It has had a consolidated city-county government since 1977.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Anaconda-Deer Lodge County.
| Town | MT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaconda-Deer Lodge County | #30 | C | B− | — | C | C+ |
| Butte-Silver Bow | — | — | C | — | — | — |
Anaconda-Deer Lodge County and Butte-Silver Bow report no FBI crime data of their own. Butte-Silver Bow isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Anaconda-Deer Lodge County with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Anaconda-Deer Lodge County grades C overall, better than 25% of U.S. towns and #30 of 41 in Montana. It grades C+ for health and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
