Work & commute · West Kootenai

Work & commute in West Kootenai, MT

Most working residents leave West Kootenai for work: only 3% work in town. The top destinations are Eureka (23%), Missoula (5%) and Kalispell (3%). Half commute less than 13 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

4 of 133 working residents

Typical commute

13 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

31 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

20%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 129 West Kootenai residents head out of town to work, 4 work right here, and 59 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in West Kootenai.

129live here, work elsewhere

4live and work here

59work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where West Kootenai goes to work

Eureka9.7 mi away

23%31

Missoula154.5 mi away

5%6

Kalispell65.8 mi away

3%4

Indian Springs8 mi away

3%4

West Kootenai (in town)right here

3%4

Trego25.2 mi away

3%4

Whitefish53.9 mi away

2%3

Helena221 mi away

2%3

Fortine20.2 mi away

2%3

Troy46.3 mi away

2%2

Everywhere elseother towns and states

52%69

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far West Kootenai commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

31%

34%

31%Under 10 mi

31%10–24 mi

4%25–50 mi

34%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

West Kootenai is a commuter town

0.47jobs per working resident

A commuter town

0.47 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.

The jobs

What the jobs in West Kootenai are

63 jobs are based in West Kootenai. Here is what they are, next to the jobs West Kootenai’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in West Kootenai

63 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)79%

Trade, transport & utilities10%

Services (health, schools, offices…)11%

$1,250 a month or less27%

$1,251–$3,333 a month49%

Over $3,333 a month24%

Jobs West Kootenai residents hold

133 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)17%

Trade, transport & utilities20%

Services (health, schools, offices…)63%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month32%

Over $3,333 a month50%

−17%

Jobs based in West Kootenai, 2013 → 2023: 76 → 63. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.