Bear DanceMT
A town of 220.
Is Bear Dance a good place to live?
71% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Bear Dance, above both the Montana town median (30%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Only one of the 43 Montana towns we compare has a higher median age than Bear Dance. Bear Dance has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
220 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Bear Dance: who provides what
Bear Dance is unincorporated, so Lake County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Bear Dance.
Bear Dance has a very high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from avalanches
Bear Dance’s FEMA hazard score stands at 81 of 100, where Montana’s towns sit at 41 of 100 and U.S. towns at 44 of 100. 46% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from avalanches, followed by inland flooding at 24%.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
With 0.3 jobs for every working resident, most of Bear Dance’s workers commute out
The top destinations are Kalispell (27%), Bigfork (13%) and Missoula (9%). Bear Dance: a fifth of residents live below the poverty line. Half the trips to work are shorter than 24 miles. In Bear Dance, the median household income is $85,000.
| Bear Dance | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $85,000 | $67,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Bear Dance: four seasons and pleasant summers
A winter brings about 34 inches of snow, with January nights at 21° and July afternoons at 81°.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fewer of Bear Dance’s adults report frequent mental distress than in the typical Montana or U.S. town
No town among the 42 in Montana we compare has a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Bear Dance. The share of adults in Bear Dance who feel lonely: 26%. Only 2 of the 42 Montana towns we compare have a lower share of adults who worry about having enough food than Bear Dance. This Montana town does better than the Montana average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 8.
| Bear Dance | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 18% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 31% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 32% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Bear Dance | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 5.6% | 9.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.6% | 11.7% |
| More adults with heart disease | 10.4% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
In Bear Dance, 9.3% of the land is conserved
One park or preserve covers 6 acres in Bear Dance.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Flathead Lake State Park - Yellow Bay Unit | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Bear Dance
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Bear Dance; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Bear Dance residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
100% of working residents leave Bear Dance for work
Where Bear Dance’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Bear Dance
Census-designated place in Montana, United States
Bear Dance is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lake County, Montana, United States. The population was 275 at the United States 2010 census, and was 281 at the 2020 census. It is located on Montana Highway 35 on the east bank of Flathead Lake, 22 miles northeast from Polson, and 11 miles south from Bigfork.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,107 ft
Questions about Bear Dance
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bear Dance, MT a good place to live?
Bear Dance has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.