What is the population of Columbia Falls city?

Columbia Falls city has 5,531 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #22 of 497 in Montana.

What is the median household income in Columbia Falls city?

Median household income in Columbia Falls city is $65,313 a year, 16.8% below the national figure of $78,538.

How much does it cost to rent or buy in Columbia Falls city?

Median gross rent is $1,003 a month and the median home value is $346,700, so rent absorbs about 18.4% of median household income.

Is Columbia Falls city affordable compared with the rest of the US?

Homes cost about 5.3× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Columbia Falls city is less affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 18.4% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.

Aerial view of a dense city center, illustrating the US cities ZIP code directory

Montana · Census place 16600

Columbia Falls, MT population, income and ZIP codes

Quick answer

The population of the city of Columbia Falls, Montana (Columbia Falls, MT — Census place “Columbia Falls city”) is 5,531 residents, ranking #22 of 497 places in Montana. Median household income is $65,313, the median home is worth $346,700 and median gross rent runs $1,003 a month. Looking for the Columbia Falls Montana ZIP code list? 1 ZIP codes serve Columbia Falls, MT: 59912.

Population: 5,531Columbia Falls city residents
Median household income: $65,313Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
Median home value: $346,700Owner-occupied units
Median gross rent: $1,003Rent plus utilities, monthly
Median age: 38.3 yrsAll residents
Homeownership rate: 64.4%Owner-occupied households

Columbia Falls ZIP codes (Montana)

Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Columbia Falls.

The Columbia Falls MT ZIP code list below covers 1 ZIP code. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.

59912

What the numbers mean in Columbia Falls city

Housing cost measured against local earnings.

A household earning the Columbia Falls city median would spend about 18.4% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 5.3× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 16.1% of residents and 64.4% of households own their home.

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year

Columbia Falls city, MT in context

How this area compares with national benchmarks.

Columbia Falls city is a mid-size town in Montana, with 5,531 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #22 of 497 ranked by population — larger than 95% of them. The median age here is 38.3 years against 39.1 nationally, a slightly younger profile than the country as a whole. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.

Households in Columbia Falls city earn a median of $65,313 a year, 16.8% below the national figure of $78,538 and 4% above the $62,992 median for the 94 Montana cities we cover. Household income here is measured before tax and pooled across everyone at the address, which is why it reads higher than typical individual earnings in the same area. Poverty reaches 16.1% of residents here, above the 12.4% national rate.

The typical owner-occupied home in Columbia Falls city is valued at $346,700, 14.3% above the national figure and 38% above the $250,900 peer median, while median gross rent runs $1,003 a month, 28.7% below the national figure, or roughly $12,036 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 18.4% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is cheap relative to what people here earn. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 5.3×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is harder here than in the average US market. 64.4% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans more heavily on renters. Rent is reported gross — contract rent plus tenant-paid utilities — which is why it runs above the advertised price on a listing for the same unit.

Every value on this page is published directly by the Census for this area — nothing is modelled or interpolated. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.

Compare with nearby places

Places of similar size in Montana.

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about this area.

What is the population of Columbia Falls city?: Columbia Falls city has 5,531 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #22 of 497 in Montana.
What is the median household income in Columbia Falls city?: Median household income in Columbia Falls city is $65,313 a year, 16.8% below the national figure of $78,538.
How much does it cost to rent or buy in Columbia Falls city?: Median gross rent is $1,003 a month and the median home value is $346,700, so rent absorbs about 18.4% of median household income.
Is Columbia Falls city affordable compared with the rest of the US?: Homes cost about 5.3× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Columbia Falls city is less affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 18.4% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
How current is this Columbia Falls city data?: All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.