Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 190, settled in 1911.
50% of residents live below the poverty line in Big Arm, where Montana’s towns sit at 10% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. No town among the 43 in Montana we compare has a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Big Arm. Big Arm’s trail density is 2.4 miles per square mile, above both the Montana town median (0.6) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Big Arm School is on the National Register of Historic Places. Big Arm has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1964 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Big Arm 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Big Arm.
100% of households own their home in Big Arm. The typical Big Arm home is worth about $893,000, about the same as a year ago, 91% above the Montana typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 78% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Big Arm has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 20° and about 34 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Big Arm for work: only 0% work in town. The top destinations are Polson (43%), Missoula (14%) and Kalispell (4%).
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Big Arm beats the Montana average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 17% of Big Arm adults report frequent physical distress. Among 42 Montana towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Big Arm.
| Big Arm | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 72% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Big Arm | MT |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 9.6% | 6.5% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 10.9% | 7.5% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 16.8% | 11.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
13 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. Only 3 of the 43 Montana towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Big Arm.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Big Arm; the nearest are
College town 16 of every 100 Big Arm residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
Census-designated place in Montana, United States
Big Arm is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lake County, Montana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Big Arm had a population of 218. The town is situated on the south side of Big Arm, a large bay on Flathead Lake, hence its name. The name was used by the Kootenai people, who lived there prior to the town being established. The post office opened in 1911, with Marion F. Lamb as postmaster. Big Arm State Park is located just north of the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Big Arm has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.