Montana has just over a third of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 39%. Adults 35 to 64 are 18% of residents (37% statewide); children under 18 are 35% of residents (21% statewide).

31.4median age · MT 40.4

HeronMontanaUnited States

MTU.S.

Ages · share of residents

31%

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma1%

High school33%

Some college16%

Associate’s12%

Bachelor’s38%

Graduate1%

Women and men · all residents

Somewhere between 37% and 66% women

The Census survey reached too few of Heron’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±14.5 points. Across Montana, 49.3% of residents are women.

Ages and education in Heron
	Heron	MT	U.S.
Under 10	30.5%	11%	11.6%
10 to 17	4.3%	10%	10.3%
18 to 24	1.8%	9%	9.1%
25 to 34	24.7%	12.9%	13.7%
35 to 44	2.1%	12.9%	13.2%
45 to 54	11%	11.1%	12.2%
55 to 64	5.2%	13%	12.7%
65 to 74	11.9%	12.4%	10.2%
75 and older	8.5%	7.8%	7%
No diploma	0.5%	5.4%	10.4%
High school	33.2%	27.5%	26%
Some college	15.9%	22.4%	19.1%
Associate’s	11.5%	9.6%	8.8%
Bachelor’s	37.5%	23.2%	21.6%
Graduate	1.4%	12%	14.1%

Full pageHeron by the numbersOpen the page

Ages31.4 median age · 20% are 65 or older Schooling39% have a four-year degree Homes60% own their home · Homeowners Income$29K a year · Median household income

U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 300, single groups can be off by several points

Natural hazards

Heron has a high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding

65% of Heron’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by wildfires at 17%. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage locally than in 77% of U.S. communities.

77risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingWildfireCold waves

Full pageHeron’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesHigh risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters13 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get ready0.7 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is Heron’s year

The July high for Heron comes to 83°F, below both the Montana town median (85°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F).

84″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter23–35°

Spring33–57°

Summer47–79°

Fall35–56°

Sep 20

typical first frost

May 20

typical last frost

+1.2°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageHeron’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 83°, January lows 23°Rain & snow84″ of snow a winter · 30 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.2° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Housing

The typical home in Heron: about $560K

For households in Heron, the share who are owner-occupiers is 60%. Values rose 5.1% in the 12 months to September 2026.

$560KZillow home value

Typical home value

Heron$560K

Montana$467K

+5.1%

value change, 1 year

Full pageHeron’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsUp 5.1% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 19.2 years of income RentsRents

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Health

A larger share of adults have high blood pressure in Heron than in most of Montana or the rest of the country

16% of adults report frequent mental distress in Heron, against 18% in Montana’s towns and 17% across U.S. towns. The share of adults in Heron who have diabetes: 14%. Only 4 of the 42 Montana towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Heron. Of 32 CDC measures, Heron beats the Montana average on 2 and trails it on 14.

	Heron	Montana towns	U.S. towns
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	18%	14%	14%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)	41%	32%	35%
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)	28%	31%	33%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)	14%	10%	12%

32 measures vs. Montana

2 better16 too close to call14 worse

What stands out	Heron	MT
More adults treating high blood pressure	78.6%	73.4%
More adults getting cholesterol checked	84.9%	82.5%
More adults with COPD	11.2%	7%

Cabinet Peaks Medical Center

29.4 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

Full pageHeron’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby29.4 miles to an ER · Cabinet Peaks Medical Center How adults are doingMore adults in fair or poor health Every CDC estimateBetter than MT on 2 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Outdoors

0% of Heron is conserved land

0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.

0%conserved

conserved · 0 of 3,236 acres

0.0 mi

of trails · 0 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Kootenai National Forest	—	1

Full pageHeron’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map0.0 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk1 acres · Kootenai National Forest Conserved land0% conserved · 0 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Heron?”

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Heron

17pages on Heron

The big questions

HealthBetter than MT on 2 of 32 CDC measures Cost of living$560K typical home · up 5.1% in a year Work & commute$29K median household income Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 77% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

Outdoors0 mi of trails · 0% conserved land PlacesAttractions8 nearby · Lake Pend Oreille 18 mi LibraryEast Bonner County District - Clark Fork Branch Colleges

The story

HistoryFounded 1883 Famous people1 born in Heron Climate83° summer highs · 84″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 59844 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Heron; the nearest are

North Idaho CollegeCommunity college · Public · Coeur d'Alene, ID46.5 mi$3,396 in-state tuition Eastern Washington UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Cheney, WA84.3 mi$8,586 in-state tuition

About 0 of every 100 Heron residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

About Heron

CDP in Montana, United States

Heron is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sanders County, Montana, named for the village of Heron which is located within it. The population of the CDP was 173 at the 2020 census. The town was built in 1883 by the Northern Pacific Railroad as a division point.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area: 5.1 sq mi
Elevation: 2,251 ft
ZIP code: 59844

Questions about Heron

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Heron, MT a good place to live?

Heron has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

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HeronMT

Is Heron a good place to live?

328 people, and everyone knows the way

143 years in pictures

Moving to Heron: who provides what

The data

Fewer middle-aged adults than Montana overall