Is Ekalaka a good place to live?
Medicine Rocks State Park is on the National Register of Historic Places. Ekalaka has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
398 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Ekalaka: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ekalaka, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Ekalaka.
The schools Ekalaka’s kids attend
The public schools here belong to the Ekalaka Elementary District. Two of its 3 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The 3 public schools in Ekalaka teach 130 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ekalaka Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 69 | A− |
| Carter County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 36 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts
Compared with most of Montana and the rest of the country, the median rent in Ekalaka is lower
In the year to September 2026, typical home values slipped 10%. The share of households in Ekalaka who own their home: 67%.
| Ekalaka | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $646 a month | $1,000 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 64% | 73% |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The average trip to work in Ekalaka is shorter than in the typical Montana or U.S. town
Among residents in Ekalaka, 27% live below the poverty line. No town among the 43 in Montana we compare has a lower median household income than Ekalaka. In Ekalaka, about one in four working residents works in town. Jobs based in Ekalaka grew to 160 in 2023, 50 more than in 2013.
| Ekalaka | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 6 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 27% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $30,000 | $67,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 39% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expect snowy winters and pleasant summers in Ekalaka
Summers in Ekalaka are warm, and winters cold, snowy, with very little rain. Summer afternoons peak near 84° in July, and January nights bottom out around 9°; snowfall runs to about 48 inches a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Ekalaka is
For adults in Ekalaka, the share who say their health is fair or poor is 22%. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Ekalaka is ahead of Montana on 4 and behind on 9. Only one of the 42 Montana towns we compare has a lower share of adults who binge drink than Ekalaka. 29% of adults in Ekalaka sleep under 7 hours; 16% report frequent physical distress.
| Ekalaka | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 32% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 31% | 33% |
| What stands out | Ekalaka | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 17.1% | 20.3% |
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 70.3% | 63.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.2% | 12.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The biggest natural risk in Ekalaka is cold waves, at a moderate overall level
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Ekalaka after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2014. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in nearly three fifths of U.S. communities. 37% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from cold waves, followed by inland flooding at 36%.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Ekalaka
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Ekalaka; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Ekalaka residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
Every workday, about 137 people come to Ekalaka for work
Where Ekalaka’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Ekalaka
Town in Montana, United States
Ekalaka is a town in and the county seat of Carter County, Montana, United States. The population was 399 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,425 ft
- ZIP code
- 59324
- Area code
- 406
Questions about Ekalaka
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ekalaka, MT a good place to live?
Ekalaka has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.