Polson, MT: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Polson (Montana Salish: nčmqnétkʷ, Kutenai: kwataqnuk) (, POHL-sən) is a city in Lake County, Montana, United States, on the southern shore of Flathead Lake and within the Flathead Indian Reservation. The population was 5,148 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lake County. In 1898 the city was named after pioneer rancher David Polson. It was incorporated in 1910.

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Polson ranks

All →

#8Highest graduation rate in MT #11Fastest growing in MT #8Most trails in MT All MT rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code59860

Area code406

Living in Polson

Housing in Polson

$579K▲ 1.3% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Polson home is worth about $579,000, up 1.3% in a year, 23% above the Montana typical home.

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Polson

D⁻

Safety Grade D-

Polson reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 96% report less.

Violent crime per 1,000

Polson 10.4

Montana 4.2

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Polson 24.5

Montana 14.7

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Health in Polson

Compared with Montana

4worse than MT

of 32 measures CDC estimates. The other 28 are too close to call.

Conditions 4▼ 8 close Habits all close Care all close Mind all close Everyday needs all close

BetterToo close to callWorse

What stands out

4.2%More adults who have had a strokeMT 3.5% · worse 7.7%More adults with heart diseaseMT 6.6% · worse 32.1%More adults with arthritisMT 28.4% · worse

Care nearby

Providence St. Joseph Medical CenterPolson · 1.1 mi · ER · rural critical access

Ag Worker Health & ServicesPolson · 5.4 mi · sliding-scale fees

Primary careShortage · county-wide

DentalShortage · county-wide

Mental healthShortage · county-wide

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CDC's estimate for Polson · CMS · HRSAHealth in Polson →

Schools in Polson

All Polson schools →

C

School Grade C

The public schools Polson’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 68% of Montana’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.

See how Polson’s schools compare in MT →

DistrictPolson ElemSchools4

Linderman School C+Elementary · Grades 2–4 · 355 students Cherry Valley SchoolElementary · Grades PK–1 · 243 students Polson Middle School CMiddle · Grades 5–8 · 477 students Polson High School C+High · Grades 9–12 · 517 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within MT. Ratings are from neighbors.

Famous people from PolsonWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Polson.Meet them →