ElmoMT
With 290 residents, this town was settled in 1911.
Is Elmo a good place to live?
Among 31 Montana towns, just one has a higher typical home value than Elmo. Elmo has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
290 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Elmo: who provides what
Elmo 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 Elmo.
Elmo’s typical home value is about $808K
Among households in Elmo, 70% live in a home they own, where Montana’s towns sit at 64% and U.S. towns at 73%.
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
More children than Montana overall
Children under 18 are 47% of residents (21% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 7% of residents (22% statewide). Among adults 25 and older in Elmo, 38% hold a bachelor’s degree or more, above both Montana’s towns (30%) and U.S. towns (29%).
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 36% and 93% women
The Census survey reached too few of Elmo’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±28.4 points. Across Montana, 49.3% of residents are women.
| Elmo | MT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.6% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 39% | 10% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 6.6% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.9% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.6% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 3.1% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9% | 12.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.3% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 21.9% | 5.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 16.1% | 27.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.1% | 22.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.8% | 9.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 38.1% | 23.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 0% | 12% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 300, single groups can be off by several points
About half of Elmo’s working residents commute to Polson
The top destinations are Polson (45%), Ronan (9%) and Kalispell (5%). Half of commuters travel less than 15 miles. The share of residents in Elmo who live below the poverty line: 12%.
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
High risk in Elmo, with avalanches at the top
Compared with 78% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Elmo is higher. Expected losses in Elmo break down as 42% from avalanches and 25% from inland flooding.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Expect four seasons and pleasant summers in Elmo
The range runs from 21° on a January night to 83° on a July afternoon, with about 34 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Elmo is
Only 4 of the 42 Montana towns we compare have a higher share of adults who worry about having enough food than Elmo. For adults locally, the share who report frequent physical distress is 17%. 18% of adults in Elmo smoke cigarettes; 14% have diabetes.
| Elmo | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 10% | 12% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Elmo | MT |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 11.3% | 6.5% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 12.8% | 7.5% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 19.9% | 11.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Elmo
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Elmo; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Elmo residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
100% of working residents leave Elmo for work
Where Elmo’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Elmo
Census-designated place in Montana, United States
Elmo (Salish: sqʷʔeʔ, Kutenai: k̓upawi¢q̓nuk) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lake County, Montana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Elmo had a population of 244. The townsite was platted in 1917. Elmo had a dock and warehouse that served boat traffic on Flathead Lake.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,917 ft
- ZIP code
- 59915
Questions about Elmo
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Elmo, MT a good place to live?
Elmo has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.