| Official Name: | St. Ignatius, Montana |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Nickname: | Mission |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Pushpin Map: | Montana#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | St. Ignatius |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Montana |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Lake |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 1.38 |
| Area Land Km2: | 1.38 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 0.53 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 0.53 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 768 |
| Population Density Km2: | 556.33 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 1440.90 |
| Timezone: | Mountain (MST) |
| Utc Offset: | -7 |
| Timezone Dst: | MDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -6 |
| Elevation Ft: | 2940 |
| Coordinates: | 47.3181°N -114.0961°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 59865 |
| Area Code: | 406 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 30-65275 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0776104 |
St. Ignatius (Salish: snyél̓mn, Ktunaxa: ʔa·kikqǂaǂaǂuk̓pǂiʔit[2] [3]) is a town in Lake County, Montana, United States. The population was 768 at the 2020 census.[4] The town is located on the Flathead Indian Reservation.
It was named for and is the site of the St. Ignatius Mission, established by Fr. Pierre-Jean De Smet, a Belgian Jesuit Catholic missionary who worked for his entire career in the American Midwest and West..[5] The mission is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In July 1919 the town was all but wiped out by raging forest fire. Only a bank, one store and a hotel, remained standing.
U.S. Route 93 passes through town.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.56sqmi, all land.[6]
This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, St. Ignatius has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.[7]
As of the census[8] of 2010, there were 842 people, 333 households, and 210 families living in the town. The population density was 1503.6PD/sqmi. There were 369 housing units at an average density of 658.9/sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 48.3% White, 0.2% African American, 42.4% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 8.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.2% of the population.
There were 333 households, of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.0% were married couples living together, 21.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.9% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.18.
The median age in the town was 35 years. 30.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 24.6% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.
As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 788 people, 307 households, and 194 families living in the town. The population density was 1509.1sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 328 housing units at an average density of 628.1sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the town was 52.54% White, 44.67% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 2.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.19% of the population.
There were 307 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were married couples living together, 18.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 32.1% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 84.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $25,682, and the median income for a family was $34,250. Males had a median income of $30,804 versus $24,844 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,336. About 15.5% of families and 19.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.2% of those under age 18 and 17.6% of those age 65 or over.
The St Ignatius School-Community Library is a public library which serves the area.[10]
The Valley Journal provides local news to Arlee, Charlo, Pablo, Polson, Ronan, and St. Ignatius.[11]