Swan Lake vs Whitefish
Swan Lake, Montana versus Whitefish, Montana: a factual, side-by-side comparison of cost of living, housing, safety, schools, and climate. Greener figures rank better among US places.
Swan Lake edges out Whitefish on overall objective livability (50 vs 45 of 100), though each leads on different factors below.
Factor-by-factor comparison
| Factor | Swan Lake | Whitefish |
|---|---|---|
| Affordability | ||
| Median Household Income | $76k | $70k |
| Cost of Living | $56k | $56k |
| Home Value | $444k | $610k |
| Monthly Rent | — | $1k |
| Monthly Owner Costs | $77 | $2k |
| Property Tax Rate | 0.48% | 0.58% |
| Income Tax | 5.90% | 5.90% |
| Sales Tax | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Estimated total tax burden | 8.68% | 11.00% |
| Unemployment | 0.0% | 2.5% |
| Weather | ||
| Winter Temp (Jan) | 25°F | 25°F |
| Summer Temp (Jul) | 66°F | 63°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 21.4 in | 19.9 in |
| Annual Snowfall | 50.6 in | 63.1 in |
| Sunny Days | 239 days | 239 days |
| Summer Humidity | 48°F | 48°F |
| Comfortable Days | 31 days | 34 days |
| Safety & Wellbeing | ||
| Natural Disaster Risk | 87.9 | 75.3 |
| Air Quality | 31 AQI | 27 AQI |
| School Quality | 58.0 | 40.2 |
| Violent Crime | 914/100k | 762/100k |
| Property Crime | 1623/100k | 1872/100k |
| Community | ||
| Population | 216 | 8,098 |
| Median Age | 43.4 | 43.0 |
| Racial Diversity | 0.02 | 0.09 |
| Male/Female Ratio | 1.43 | 0.98 |
| Political Leaning | R+31 | R+31 |
| White (%) | 99.1% | 94.6% |
| Black (%) | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Hispanic (%) | 0.0% | 1.7% |
| Asian (%) | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Other / Multiracial (%) | 0.9% | 3.7% |
| Getting Around | ||
| Walkability | 4.2/20 | 6.9/20 |
| Airport Distance | 175 mi | 157 mi |
| Lifestyle & Connectivity | ||
| Broadband Access | 96.4% | 89.3% |
| Amenities Nearby | 0.00 | 71.62 |
| Park & Nature Access | Excellent | Good |
Each figure is colored by how it ranks among all US places: green is strong, amber average, red weaker. Neutral factors (population, demographics, target-style climate) show their percentile without a better/worse claim.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Swan Lake or Whitefish more affordable?
- Whitefish has the lower cost of living: its index is $56k, compared with Swan Lake's $56k and Whitefish's $56k.
- Is Swan Lake or Whitefish safer?
- Whitefish has the lower violent crime rate. Swan Lake reports 914/100k and Whitefish reports 762/100k (violent crimes per 100,000 residents).
- Are homes cheaper in Swan Lake or Whitefish?
- The median home value is $444k in Swan Lake and $610k in Whitefish, so homes are more affordable in Swan Lake.