West Kootenai vs Whitefish
West Kootenai, 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.
West Kootenai and Whitefish score about the same overall (44 vs 45 of 100) — the differences are in the individual factors below.
Factor-by-factor comparison
| Factor | West Kootenai | Whitefish |
|---|---|---|
| Affordability | ||
| Median Household Income | $63k | $70k |
| Cost of Living | $49k | $56k |
| Home Value | — | $610k |
| Monthly Rent | — | $1k |
| Monthly Owner Costs | $39 | $2k |
| Property Tax Rate | — | 0.58% |
| Income Tax | 5.90% | 5.90% |
| Sales Tax | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Estimated total tax burden | — | 11.00% |
| Unemployment | 0.0% | 2.5% |
| Weather | ||
| Winter Temp (Jan) | 25°F | 25°F |
| Summer Temp (Jul) | 62°F | 63°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 15.0 in | 19.9 in |
| Annual Snowfall | 35.1 in | 63.1 in |
| Sunny Days | 239 days | 239 days |
| Summer Humidity | 48°F | 48°F |
| Comfortable Days | 36 days | 34 days |
| Safety & Wellbeing | ||
| Natural Disaster Risk | 70.0 | 75.3 |
| Air Quality | 57 AQI | 27 AQI |
| School Quality | 40.3 | 40.2 |
| Violent Crime | 534/100k | 762/100k |
| Property Crime | 361/100k | 1872/100k |
| Community | ||
| Population | 189 | 8,098 |
| Median Age | 51.9 | 43.0 |
| Racial Diversity | 0.00 | 0.09 |
| Male/Female Ratio | 1.10 | 0.98 |
| Political Leaning | R+51 | R+31 |
| White (%) | 100.0% | 94.6% |
| Black (%) | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Hispanic (%) | 0.0% | 1.7% |
| Asian (%) | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Other / Multiracial (%) | 0.0% | 3.7% |
| Getting Around | ||
| Walkability | 6.8/20 | 6.9/20 |
| Airport Distance | 140 mi | 157 mi |
| Lifestyle & Connectivity | ||
| Broadband Access | 79.1% | 89.3% |
| Amenities Nearby | 0.00 | 71.62 |
| Park & Nature Access | Limited | 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 West Kootenai or Whitefish more affordable?
- West Kootenai has the lower cost of living: its index is $49k, compared with West Kootenai's $49k and Whitefish's $56k.
- Is West Kootenai or Whitefish safer?
- West Kootenai has the lower violent crime rate. West Kootenai reports 534/100k and Whitefish reports 762/100k (violent crimes per 100,000 residents).