There are 2.7 jobs in Hungry Horse for every working resident, and 610 people commute in
The average commute takes 17 minutes each way (Montana 19, U.S. 26). Hungry Horse has 628 jobs, against 230 working residents. Only 8% stay in Hungry Horse for work; outside it, Columbia Falls is the main destination (14%, 6 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Hungry Horse at work: what stands out
Hungry Horse is where the jobs are
Hungry Horse has 628 jobs, 2.7 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 1,100 people are in town, 59% more than the 680 who live here. Day and night ↓
The jobs in Hungry Horse pay better than its residents’ jobs
79% of the jobs based in Hungry Horse pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 52% of the jobs Hungry Horse residents hold. 97% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside Hungry Horse. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 230 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The daily commute in and out of Hungry Horse
On a workday 212 residents head out to work and 18 work right here.
About 1,100 people are in Hungry Horse on a workday afternoon, 59% more than live here.
2.7 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Services make up most of the work in Hungry Horse
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Hungry Horse, 2013 → 2023: 198 → 628. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Hungry Horse’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The towns that send workers to Hungry Horse
Where Hungry Horse clocks in
14% of workers
5% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The daily trip from Hungry Horse: about 17 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Hungry Horse workers work from home, vs 13% across Montana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 268 commuters (the 14% who work from home are left out). Across Montana: 81% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Near or far: the trip to work from Hungry Horse
About 28% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Next door to Hungry Horse
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Hungry Horse workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hungry Horse | – | — | — | 17 min | $53,056 |
| Martin City | under 2% | — | — | 26 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Martin City: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Hungry Horse’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Hungry Horse: questions
What is the median household income in Hungry Horse?
$53,056 (±$36,791) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,509 across Montana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Hungry Horse?
11.5%, against 11.5% across Montana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Hungry Horse?
17 minutes each way on average, against 19 across Montana and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Hungry Horse work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Columbia Falls (14%, 6 mi), Kalispell (14%, 17 mi), Whitefish (5%, 13 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Hungry Horse without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Hungry Horse, from the people who make the trip.
More of Hungry Horse
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer.