Map the Block › Places › Montana › Prairie County
Prairie County, Montana: crime rate, income and local data
Prairie County averaged 2.7 reported violent crimes per 1,000 residents a year in 2021-2025, 38% lower than the Montana rate (4.4). The median household earns $51,250 and the unemployment rate was 2.3% in August 2026. Population: about 1,250 (Census, 2020-2024).
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2021-2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Unemployment: BLS August 2026. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income · hazard risk · Superfund · dams
What is the crime rate in Prairie County?
From 2021 through 2025, Prairie County averaged 3 reported violent crimes a year, along with 2 property crimes. The violent rate, 2.7 per 1,000 people, is 38% lower than the Montana rate (4.4); nationally it is 3.7. Burglary, theft and car theft together come to 1.5 per 1,000 residents, compared with 17.8 across Montana. With this few incidents, one or two cases move the rate a lot from year to year.
| Offense (yearly average, 2021-2025) | Prairie County | Per 1,000 | Montana per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 3 | 2.7 | 4.4 | 3.7 |
| Murder | 0 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.06 |
| Rape | 0 | 0.00 | 0.61 | 0.40 |
| Robbery | 0 | 0.00 | 0.22 | 0.62 |
| Aggravated assault | 3 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 2.6 |
| Property crime | 2 | 1.5 | 17.8 | 18.1 |
| Burglary | 0 | 0.00 | 1.8 | 2.4 |
| Larceny-theft | 1 | 0.91 | 13.9 | 13.0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 1 | 0.73 | 2.0 | 2.6 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. County figures add up the city police and sheriff reports in the county (1 agencies; 88% of residents covered).
What is the median household income in Prairie County?
Median household income is $51,250, 29% lower than the statewide figure ($72,509). Owner-occupied homes have a median value of $165,700, and the median rent is $627 a month. The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 2.3% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 13 people out of work and looking.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Prairie County | Montana | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,250 | 1,116,875 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $51,250 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $165,700 | $375,800 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $627 | $1,081 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 0.9% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 20.6% | 11.5% | 12.5% |
| Households receiving SNAP (food stamps) | 14.5% | 7.8% | 12.1% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 26.9% | 35.2% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 83.9% | 69.2% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 57.8 | 40.4 | 38.9 |
| Households with broadband internet | 78.2% | 89.4% | 91.0% |
| People without health insurance | 4.7% | 8.6% | 8.4% |
What natural hazards and environmental sites are in Prairie County?
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Prairie County has an overall natural-hazard risk rating of “Very Low”. No single hazard among floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat waves, earthquakes and hurricanes is rated higher than “Relatively Moderate”. The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Superfund sites
EPA lists no Superfund site in Prairie County, active or completed (October 2026).
Disasters, air and water
No federal major disaster declaration covered Prairie County from 2016 through 2025 (COVID-19 excluded). EPA puts the county in radon zone 1 (highest).
Is there road construction in Prairie County?
Montana does not publish an open highway work-zone feed that we can read yet, so road construction in Prairie County is not on our map. Check the state's 511 traveler site for current closures.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in Prairie County?
Prairie County has 3 public schools (2024-25) and 0 private schools (2023-24) in federal school lists. USGS mapping shows 3 fire or EMS stations and 1 police or sheriff station.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Prairie County
Gun shops
One gun shop with a public storefront is on the map in Prairie County, plus 2 more licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown). On the ATF list: Terry Super Valu (Terry).
Liquor stores
No liquor stores are on the map in Prairie County.
Planned Parenthood
There is no Planned Parenthood health center in Prairie County on the map.
See them on the map: gun shops →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in Prairie County?
Prairie County averaged 3 reported violent crimes a year in 2021-2025, or 2.7 per 1,000 residents, 38% lower than the Montana rate (4.4). The property-crime rate was 1.5 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in Prairie County?
$51,250 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average), compared with $72,509 for Montana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the unemployment rate in Prairie County?
The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 2.3% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 13 people out of work and looking.
What natural hazards affect Prairie County?
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Prairie County has an overall natural-hazard risk rating of “Very Low”. No single hazard among floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat waves, earthquakes and hurricanes is rated higher than “Relatively Moderate”.
How does Prairie County compare with neighboring counties?
| County | Population | Violent crimes per 1,000 (2021-25) | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custer County | 11,961 | 3.2 | $70,605 |
| Dawson County | 8,827 | 3.8 | $71,334 |
| Fallon County | 2,760 | 1.4 | $76,250 |
| Garfield County | 1,094 | 0.97 | $69,583 |
| McCone County | 1,670 | 1.2 | $69,375 |
| Wibaux County | 1,193 | – | $67,462 |
More: Montana statewide numbers · Sex-offender registry search (U.S. Justice Department, NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting 2021-2025 (agency level, Return A), averaged and summed by county by Map the Block; Census population; state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes 2021-2025.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables.
- Monthly unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), county data, not seasonally adjusted. Public domain.
- Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores; disasters: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026). Chemical releases: U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory, reporting year 2024 (basic data file).
- Air and water: U.S. EPA AirData, annual AQI by county 2024; EPA Air Quality Design Values 2023-2025 (June 2026); U.S. EPA SDWIS via ECHO drinking-water download (September 30, 2026). Traffic deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024; Census population.
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026). Stations: U.S. Geological Survey, National Structures Dataset (Fire Stations/EMS Stations), October 2026 pull.
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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