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CITY

Helena

Montana · 35,138 residents (2025 est.) · 16.9 sq mi
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Part of the Helena metro area
The short version

With 33,639 people, Helena is a city in Montana. This is an unusually credentialed place: 51% of adults have a four-year degree. The average commute runs 14 minutes. 2% of residents were born outside the United States. Owners hold 53% of the housing stock. 7,859 more people live here than in 2000.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.5
US median: 38.9
More educated
51% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 98%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
33,639
+30%since 2000
from 25,780 in 2000
35,138 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
1,991 / sq mi
+17%since 2009
from 1,706 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
40.5
+4%since 2000
from 38.8 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
16.9 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
23K26K29K32K35K19902000201020202024Helena
202434K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.5%(1,530)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.4%(1,810)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.7%(1,906)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.1%(2,066)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.9%(2,321)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3414.1%(4,738)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.3%(4,466)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5410.2%(3,423)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.1%(4,085)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7412.3%(4,147)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 847.2%(2,426)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.1%(721)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$71,036
+13%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $34,416 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$46,928
+134%since 2000
from $20,020 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
46.8%
+20.5 ptssince 2009
from 26.3% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
8.8%
−5.6 ptssince 2000
from 14.5% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.456
+6%since 2010
from 0.429 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information10.2%
US avg: 10.8%
Other services7%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration5.7%
US avg: 4.8%
Wholesale trade4.9%
US avg: 6.9%
Retail trade2.8%
US avg: 9.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2.1%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1.9%
US avg: 1.2%
Finance & insurance1.6%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical1.3%
US avg: 5.1%
Arts, entertainment, food1.1%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing0.7%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services0.3%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.2%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$387,300
+98%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $107,300 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,092
+36%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $442 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
52.6%
−4.6 ptssince 2000
from 57.3% in 2000
47.4% rent
Vacancy rate
4.9%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 5.5% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.04 people
−7%since 2009
from 2.19 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
19.5%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 21.1% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
38.2%
−4.9 ptssince 2009
from 43.1% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
5.5
+47%since 2009
from 3.7 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
63
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic93.8%(24,191)
Black0.2%(56)
Hispanic / Latino1.7%(430)
Asian0.8%(199)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic86.4%(29,071)
Black0.8%(270)
Hispanic / Latino4.7%(1,571)
Asian0.5%(183)
Other7.6%(2,544)
Diversity Score
31
+74%since 2009
from 18 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican2.7%(925)
Puerto Rican0.5%(177)
Cuban0.2%(75)
Colombian0.2%(69)
Spaniard0.1%(27)
Guatemalan0.1%(24)
Peruvian0%(11)
Asian origin
Thai0.2%(72)
Asian Indian0.1%(40)
Vietnamese0.1%(27)
Korean0.1%(24)
Filipino0.1%(18)
Chinese0%(2)
Pacific Islander origin
Ancestry
German23.3%(7,835)
Irish17.6%(5,931)
English17.2%(5,784)
Norwegian6.9%(2,331)
American6.3%(2,112)
French4.2%(1,410)
Swedish3.6%(1,210)
Scottish3.6%(1,198)
Italian3.3%(1,123)
Polish2%(686)
Dutch1.5%(519)
Scotch-Irish1.4%(480)
+ 31 more ancestry groups with data
Danish1.4%(465)
Welsh1.2%(403)
Ukrainian1%(342)
Finnish0.9%(303)
British0.7%(242)
Romanian0.7%(219)
Hungarian0.6%(188)
Russian0.6%(187)
Swiss0.4%(149)
West Indian0.3%(106)
Croatian0.3%(103)
Greek0.3%(103)
Czech0.2%(83)
Lithuanian0.2%(75)
Austrian0.2%(62)
Belgian0.2%(61)
Slovak0.1%(50)
Serbian0.1%(25)
Slovene0.1%(25)
Arab0.1%(23)
Armenian0.1%(19)
Brazilian0%(16)
Bulgarian0%(15)
Nigerian0%(12)
Ethiopian0%(10)
Latvian0%(9)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
50.6%
+10.8 ptssince 2000
from 39.8% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
95.1%
+2.4 ptssince 2000
from 92.7% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
18.5%
+4.3 ptssince 2000
from 14.2% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
13.7 min
+42%since 2000
from 9.7 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
64.4%
−2.6 ptssince 2009
from 67.0% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
9.2%
−2.8 ptssince 2009
from 12.0% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.3%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.7% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
16.2%
+11.7 ptssince 2009
from 4.5% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
7.3%
−4.0 ptssince 2009
from 11.3% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
1.6%
−1.3 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
8.6%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 8.1% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
2.9%
−2.5 ptssince 2011
from 5.4% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
62.4%
−4.9 ptssince 2011
from 67.2% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
78.6%
−2.9 ptssince 2020
from 81.5% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
22.4%
+2.1 ptssince 2009
from 20.2% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
57.8%
+13.5 ptssince 2009
from 44.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
47.8%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 48.1% in 2009
Female
52.2%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 51.9% in 2009
Foreign born
1.6%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 2.0% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.3%
−6.7 ptssince 2009
from 14.0% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
16.2%
+2.1 ptssince 2012
from 14.1% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
4.6%
−4.4 ptssince 2013
from 9.0% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
88.4%
+10.8 ptssince 2017
from 77.6% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
93.1%
+2.5 ptssince 2020
from 90.6% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
82.4%
+5.4 ptssince 2020
from 77.0% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
97.4%
Unchangedsince 2016
from 97.4% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
1.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2016
from 1.3% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married38%(5,102)
Married44.4%(5,956)
Widowed2.6%(345)
Divorced15.1%(2,026)
Women 15+
Never married29.2%(4,367)
Married40.6%(6,075)
Widowed10%(1,491)
Divorced20.3%(3,031)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
4.6%
−4.4 ptssince 2013
from 9.0% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
55.1%
−4.8 ptssince 2020
from 59.9% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
17.7%
+2.9 ptssince 2020
from 14.8% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
22.9%
+0.4 ptssince 2020
from 22.5% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
20.0%
+2.4 ptssince 2020
from 17.6% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.3%
−1.0 ptssince 2020
from 4.3% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
72.0%
−2.5 ptssince 2020
from 74.5% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
39.9%
+2.6 ptssince 2020
from 37.3% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)25.5%(500)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)22.6%(443)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era37.6%(739)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.2%(102)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 1,964 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
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HELENA VS
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HELENA VS
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HELENA VS
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Helena, Montana?

Helena, Montana has about 33,639 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Helena, Montana?

The typical household in Helena, Montana earns about $71,036 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Helena, Montana expensive?

In Helena, Montana, the median home is worth about $387,300, and the typical rent is about $1,092 a month.

How educated are people in Helena, Montana?

About 50.6% of adults age 25 and over in Helena, Montana hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Helena, Montana?

About 8.8% of people in Helena, Montana live below the federal poverty line.

Has Helena, Montana grown since 1990?

Yes, Helena, Montana has grown since 1990. The population has added about 9,293 residents, a change of about 38 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →

Helena, Montana: demographics, income & housing data · CensusEasy