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PantryPath Research · WIC Coverage Atlas

WIC in Montana

60.9% coverage

Montana's WIC program reaches 60.9% of eligible residents — an estimated 14,000 participants out of 23,000 who qualify. That leaves 9,000 pregnant women, infants, and young children eligible but not receiving WIC's food package or nutrition counseling.

23K

WIC eligibles

14K

Participants (FY2024 avg)

9K

Unserved eligibles

56

Counties

Montana by county

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Toggle between estimated WIC eligibles, unserved gap, low-income child counts, and child-poverty share. Hover a county for its exact value.

Note: USDA does not publish sub-state WIC participation, so every county in Montana inherits the state's 60.9% coverage rate. County-level eligibles are allocated from state totals in proportion to the county's share of low-income children under 6 (ACS B17024). See methodology.

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Montana at a glance

Coverage rate

60.9%

Participants ÷ eligibles

Participation gap

39.1%

1 − coverage

Eligibles

23K

USDA FNS FY2022

Participants

14K

Monthly avg FY2024

Unserved

9K

Eligibles − participants

Kids < 6 low-income

25K

36.2% of universe

County-level hotspots

Top five counties across 56 counties in Montana.

Most WIC eligibles

Estimated eligible population

  1. 1 Yellowstone 3K
  2. 2 Flathead 2K
  3. 3 Cascade 2K
  4. 4 Gallatin 2K
  5. 5 Missoula 1K

Largest unserved gap

Eligibles not receiving WIC

  1. 1 Yellowstone 1K
  2. 2 Flathead 930
  3. 3 Cascade 891
  4. 4 Gallatin 615
  5. 5 Missoula 550

Highest child-poverty share

Children < 6 at ≤185% FPL

  1. 1 Meagher 73.1%
  2. 2 Glacier 71.6%
  3. 3 Wheatland 69.6%
  4. 4 Big Horn 68.3%
  5. 5 Roosevelt 68.0%

Every county in Montana

All 56 counties with WIC eligibility estimates, unserved gap, and ACS child-poverty context.

County Eligibles est. Participants est. Unserved est. Kids < 6 low-income Poverty share
Beaverhead 143 87 56 158 30.3%
Big Horn 681 415 266 751 68.3%
Blaine 297 181 116 328 51.1%
Broadwater 122 74 48 134 31.8%
Carbon 172 105 67 190 38.5%
Carter 33 20 13 36 37.5%
Cascade 2,277 1,386 891 2,511 43.5%
Chouteau 112 68 44 124 25.6%
Custer 256 156 100 282 40.6%
Daniels 4 2 2 4 12.5%
Dawson 161 98 63 177 34.6%
Deer Lodge 68 41 27 75 19.7%
Fallon 111 67 44 122 54.0%
Fergus 219 133 86 241 34.6%
Flathead 2,376 1,446 930 2,620 37.8%
Gallatin 1,573 958 615 1,735 23.9%
Garfield 17 10 7 19 19.6%
Glacier 856 521 335 944 71.6%
Golden Valley 24 14 10 26 59.1%
Granite 8 5 3 9 5.1%
Hill 699 426 273 771 46.8%
Jefferson 109 66 43 120 17.8%
Judith Basin 33 20 13 36 33.0%
Lake 985 599 386 1,086 58.3%
Lewis and Clark 1,198 729 469 1,321 28.0%
Liberty 96 59 37 106 53.0%
Lincoln 501 305 196 553 52.4%
Madison 129 78 51 142 26.7%
McCone 34 21 13 38 25.9%
Meagher 44 27 17 49 73.1%
Mineral 134 82 52 148 61.7%
Missoula 1,406 856 550 1,550 23.6%
Musselshell 73 45 28 81 38.4%
Park 371 226 145 409 42.8%
Petroleum 5 3 2 6 33.3%
Phillips 147 89 58 162 57.9%
Pondera 245 149 96 270 57.9%
Powder River 21 13 8 23 20.7%
Powell 88 54 34 97 33.5%
Prairie 31 19 12 34 56.7%
Ravalli 640 390 250 706 28.7%
Richland 200 122 78 221 25.9%
Roosevelt 622 379 243 686 68.0%
Rosebud 436 266 170 481 59.8%
Sanders 256 156 100 282 46.3%
Sheridan 68 41 27 75 25.0%
Silver Bow 748 455 293 825 38.3%
Stillwater 219 134 85 242 48.1%
Sweet Grass 60 36 24 66 30.4%
Teton 122 74 48 134 28.0%
Toole 176 107 69 194 51.3%
Treasure 5 3 2 6 17.1%
Valley 242 147 95 267 46.3%
Wheatland 44 26 18 48 69.6%
Wibaux 38 23 15 42 61.8%
Yellowstone 3,265 1,987 1,278 3,600 31.4%

Apply for WIC in Montana

Income limits, food-package rules, clinic locator, and application instructions specific to Montana's WIC agency.

Montana WIC guide

Families with children

Our population-specific guide: WIC, SNAP, school meals, Summer EBT, and pantry programs for families with kids in Montana.

Families guide

Montana SNAP

SNAP recipients are automatically income-eligible for WIC through adjunctive eligibility — often the fastest path to enrollment.

Montana SNAP guide

Find a food pantry

Search Montana's verified pantries — many partner with WIC clinics and distribute infant formula, baby food, and diapers.

Montana food pantries

WIC methodology

How we estimated county-level eligibles, why state coverage rates can't be disaggregated, and which data sources we used.

Full methodology