What is the median rent in Columbia Falls, MT?

Name: Median rent in Columbia Falls, MT, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in Columbia Falls, MT is $1,016 (±$171) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 971 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Columbia Falls, the median gross rent went from $705 in 2015–2019 to $1,016 in 2020–2024 (+44.1%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,016 (±$171)
Rented homes: 971 (±222)
$2,000 or more: 4.0%
Since 2015–2019: +44.1%

How much rent costs in Columbia Falls

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Columbia Falls	Flathead County	Montana	United States
Less than $500	11.9% (±12.0 points)	10.7%	9.8%	6.3%
$500 to $999	36.5% (±19.2 points)	26.5%	34.2%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	35.7% (±15.7 points)	34.5%	30.2%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	11.9% (±9.7 points)	14.9%	14.4%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	2.0% (±2.6 points)	8.0%	7.1%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	0.0% (±3.0 points)	2.6%	2.0%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	2.0% (±3.1 points)	2.6%	2.3%	6.8%

The most common range is $500 to $999, paid by 36.5% of renting households.

4.0% of rented homes in Columbia Falls cost $2,000 or more a month.

Columbia Falls against Flathead County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Columbia Falls	Flathead County	Montana	United States
Median gross rent	$1,016 (±$171)	$1,142 (±$42)	$1,081 (±$14)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	971 (±222)	11,157 (±743)	129,539 (±2,163)	42,849,984

In Columbia Falls, median gross rent is not measurably different from Flathead County ($1,142).

It is not measurably different from Montana ($1,081).

It is lower than the national figure ($1,413).

In Flathead County, Columbia Falls ranks 6 of 6 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 42 of 140.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How rent in Columbia Falls has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$705 (±$294)	$1,016 (±$171)	+44.1%	No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent	29.2% (±6.8 points)	44.0% (±8.2 points)	+14.8 percentage points	Measurable increase
Rental vacancy rate	0.0% (±3.5 points)	3.0% (±4.8 points)	+3.0 percentage points	Not a measurable change

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Median gross rent in places near Columbia Falls

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Columbia Falls
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Columbia Falls	—	$1,016 (±$171)	—
Whitefish	8.5 mi	$1,354 (±$211)	Higher
Evergreen	11 mi	$1,166 (±$114)	Not measurably different
Kalispell	12 mi	$1,078 (±$91)	Not measurably different
Somers	20 mi	$1,131 (±$14)	Not measurably different
Bigfork	21 mi	$1,016 (±$337)	Not measurably different
Polson	47 mi	$912 (±$57)	Not measurably different
Eureka	53 mi	$1,038 (±$201)	Not measurably different
Pablo	53 mi	$793 (±$225)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Whitefish, MT ($1,354).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Median gross rent across Flathead County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
1	Whitefish	$1,354 (±$211)
2	Evergreen	$1,166 (±$114)
3	Somers	$1,131 (±$14)
4	Kalispell	$1,078 (±$91)
5 (tie)	Bigfork	$1,016 (±$337)
5 (tie)	Columbia Falls	$1,016 (±$171)

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Columbia Falls

What is the average rent in Columbia Falls, MT?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Columbia Falls is $1,016 (±$171) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in Columbia Falls?

In Columbia Falls, the median gross rent went from $705 in 2015–2019 to $1,016 in 2020–2024 (+44.1%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

How many rentals in Columbia Falls cost more than $2,000 a month?

4.0% of rented homes in Columbia Falls have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 11.9% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Columbia Falls higher than in Flathead County?

In Columbia Falls, median gross rent is not measurably different from Flathead County ($1,142).

It is not measurably different from Montana ($1,081).

It is lower than the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Columbia Falls city, Montana (place:16600, in state:30).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.