U.S. HOUSEHOLDS · INCOME BY QUINTILE
Montana Pay
Compare average household income across five income groups in Montana, with official population and wage context where published.
Numbers tell a bigger story.
Average-household income at a steady pace from January 1. Figures update every second.
· 2024 ACS 1-year · 2024 dollars · Each income quintile represents approximately one-fifth of households where published.
FIVE EQUAL HOUSEHOLD GROUPS
Average income by quintile
Each group contains approximately 20% of Montana households, ranked by household income.
ADDITIONAL BENCHMARK · SUBSET OF HIGHEST 20%
Top 5% mean household income
This benchmark overlaps with the Highest 20% above. Do not add it to the quintile totals.
What the minimum wage comparison means
The hourly minimum wage is a legal pay floor for covered workers, not a cutoff that defines these household income groups. Annualizing it at 40 hours × 52 weeks gives a simple full-time equivalent; actual earnings vary with hours, overtime, local rules, eligibility and employment.
First listed basic rate; other rates, coverage and exceptions may apply. $10.85 Official source checked 2026-10-23.
Sources, definitions & method
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 1-year Detailed Table B19081 ↗. It publishes mean household income and 90% margins of error for five quintiles and the top 5 percent. Puerto Rico is covered by the Puerto Rico Community Survey; the table vintage appears on that page.
Reporting vintage: 2024 ACS 1-year. Released: 2025-09-11. Verified: 2026-10-26. Wage and island-table dates below are separate.
Download the archived Census report bundle. SHA-256: 66bb1f35d213343513f735c3db11b021f1d8492d9144770d0d12b33ca8026ff6
Census Table B11001 ↗ supplies the ACS estimated household totals. ACS quintiles each represent approximately one-fifth of households; counts are rounded estimates, not people.
The U.S. Virgin Islands uses its separately published 2020 Census of Island Areas Table PCT57 ↗. This older table reports 2019 dollars and should not be compared directly with the ACS dollar levels shown here. Census notes that 2020 USVI social and economic tables exclude the group-quarters population due to COVID-19 collection limits. Current ACS detailed tables cover Puerto Rico but not the other Island Areas. The 2020 Island Areas table provides both territory-wide and separate St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John estimates; their values are in 2019 dollars.
The five groups are relative income ranks, not government definitions of “poor,” “middle class” or “rich.” The Top 5% overlaps with the Highest 20% and must not be added to the quintiles.
YTD counters use the published annual mean for an average household and advance it evenly from January 1 of the current UTC year. They illustrate a constant pace, not actual paychecks or current-year earnings. The display reaches the annual benchmark during the final second of December 31 and resets on January 1.
Minimum-wage rates are from the U.S. Department of Labor State Minimum Wage Laws table ↗, source checked 2026-10-23. Rates vary with coverage, local rules and scheduled changes; check the linked table and state labor agency for a specific job.