Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,565, settled in 1901.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Bigfork grades B overall, 9th among Montana's 41 graded towns. It is healthier than 87% of U.S. towns. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $803K for a typical one and 10.9 times the Kalispell area’s $74K median household income. 33% of residents are 65 or older in Bigfork, above both Montana’s towns (19%) and U.S. towns (18%). Only 7 of Montana’s 95 towns score lower on hazard risk. Bigfork has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Kearney Rapids Bridge and Swan River Community Hall.
Where Bigfork beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Bigfork | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.4% | 12.3% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Bigfork Elementary | PK–5 | 343 |
| Swan River School | PK–5 | 106 |
| Bigfork 6-8 | 6–8 | 236 |
4,270 counted in 2010 and 5,118 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Montana), ordered by how far Bigfork is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,421 in 2000, 5,118 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 3 maps from 1962 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Bigfork is unincorporated, so Flathead 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 Bigfork.
Bigfork is a second-home town, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Montana (mostly inland flooding) and has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Montana.
At 10.9 years of the Kalispell area’s $74K median household income, the typical home (about $803K) costs more against local pay than in 97% of Montana towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living.
80% of households own their home in Bigfork. The typical Bigfork home is worth about $803,000, up 3.2% in a year, 72% above the Montana typical home.
| Bigfork | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 80% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,016 a month | $994 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Bigfork Elementary District. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Bigfork High School, with 333 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bigfork ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 343 | B |
| Bigfork High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 333 | C+ |
| Bigfork 6-8Top results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 236 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MT on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Montana is tooth loss: 6.4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 12.3% statewide.
13% of Bigfork adults report frequent mental distress. Among 41 Montana towns, just 1 have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Bigfork. 16% of Bigfork adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Bigfork | 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% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.9% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Bigfork | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.4% | 12.3% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.3% | 11.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.2% | 9.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 98% of Montana towns, with expected losses of about $746 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Bigfork is 84 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Creston weather station, 8 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 134 days: shorter than most of the country, but longer than 82% of Montana places with climate records.
Bigfork has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Bigfork’s July high is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 1,342 in 2013 to 1,815.
About one in 3 of Bigfork’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Bigfork has added 473 jobs, to 1,815 in 2023. Among 42 Montana towns, just 4 have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Bigfork.
| Bigfork | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 31% | 41% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.7% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $85,000 | $66,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Bigfork | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.3% | 9.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wayfarers Unit - Flathead Lake State Park | 1.7 mi | 63 |
| 2. Carlyle Johnson Park | — | 12 |
| 3. Sliter Memorial Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Bigfork; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Bigfork residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Montana.
Unincorporated community in Montana, United States
Bigfork is a census-designated place (CDP) in Flathead County, Montana, United States. It is within Montana's Rocky Mountains. The population was 5,118 at the 2020 census, up from 4,270 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Bigfork grades B overall, better than 64% of U.S. towns and #9 of 41 in Montana. It grades A for health and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.