Lewis and Clark County, Montana
Population 73,464 · Helena, East Helena
- Overall cost of living: −4.3% vs the US average, higher than 79% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- % Adults with a bachelor's degree: 43%, higher than 94% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−4.3% | higher than 79% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Helena, MT metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $393,500 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,102 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $136/mo | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $10,046/yr | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.79% | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| State income tax | 5.9% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $3,113 | higher than 85% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $78,237 | higher than 79% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3.1% | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +5.4% | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 381.4 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈162 days | lower than 92% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 84°F | lower than 69% of US counties |
| January low | 15°F | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 37 in | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 27 days | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 170 days | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 27.6% of weeks | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈43.5°F | lower than 94% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 13.2 in | lower than 95% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $114/yr | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $79/yr | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $17/yr | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $0.26/yr | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $16/yr | higher than 88% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 8.4 µg/m³ | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 461.5 mi | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈4,229.6 ft | higher than 92% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 94.8% | higher than 90% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 43% | higher than 94% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 14.6% | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 2 | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 15.1:1 | higher than 69% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 85.8% | lower than 72% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 9.12 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.74 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.08 | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 3.2 | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 96/100k | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 4★ | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 78.6 yrs | higher than 81% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 9.6% | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 630/100k | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 91/100k | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 73.1% | higher than 65% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 62 min | higher than 57% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 81 min | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 18 min | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 90.3% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.2% | higher than 45% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 14.5% | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 603 min | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 64 per sq mi | higher than 87% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 4.2 per 1k | higher than 84% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 17.1 per 1k | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Population | 73,464 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Median age | 41.8 | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +11.7 per 1k/yr | higher than 83% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 45.4% Dem | higher than 81% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 51.1% Rep | lower than 83% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 3.5% | higher than 98% of US counties |
| % White | 88.6% | higher than 70% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 4% | lower than 59% of US counties |
| % Black | 0.5% | lower than 78% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.5% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 1.3% | higher than 87% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 4.7% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.4% | higher than 58% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 952 parks | higher than 95% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 18.5 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 11.2 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 11 min | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 1.1% | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 3 | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 889 km | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 5 km | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 19 | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 28 | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 6 | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 3 | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 3 | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 32 km | higher than 66% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data