Helena, MT

Census Place

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    2024 Median Age
    40.5
    0.248% 1-year increase
    2024 Poverty Rate
    8.83%
    3.04% 1-year decrease
    2024 Median Household Income
    $71,036
    2.44% 1-year growth
    2024 Median Property Value
    $387,300
    9.07% 1-year growth
    2024 Employed Population
    16,672
    2.03% 1-year growth

    About

    None of the households in Helena, MT reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

    99.6% of the residents in Helena, MT are U.S. citizens.

    The largest universities in Helena, MT are Carroll College (271 degrees awarded in 2024) and Helena College University of Montana (271 degrees).

    In 2024, the median property value in Helena, MT was $387,300, and the homeownership rate was 52.6%.

    Most people in Helena, MT drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 13.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Helena, MT was 2 cars per household.

    Population & Diversity

    Helena, MT is home to a population of N/A people, from which 99.6% are citizens.

    As of 2024, 1.62% of Helena, MT residents were born outside of the country (544 people).

    Population & Diversity

    Citizenship

    99.6%
    2024 Citizenship
    99.4%
    2023 Citizenship

    As of 2024, 99.6% of Helena, MT residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Helena, MT was 99.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

    The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Helena, MT compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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    Foreign-Born Population

    1.62%
    2024 Foreign-Born Population
    544 people
    1.75%
    2023 Foreign-Born Population
    579 people

    As of 2024, 1.62% of Helena, MT residents (544 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Helena, MT was 1.75%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

    The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Helena, MT compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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    Health

    95.4% of the population of Helena, MT has health coverage, with 47.7% on employee plans, 16.3% on Medicaid, 14.6% on Medicare, 14.4% on non-group plans, and 2.33% on military or VA plans.

    By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.5% were men and 52.5% were women.

    Coverage

    Health Care Diversity

    In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.5% under 18 years, 22.2% between 18 and 34 years, 35.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.4% over 64 years.

    By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.5% were men and 52.5% were women.

    The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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    Uninsured People

    4.63%
    Uninsured
    47.7%
    Employer Coverage
    16.3%
    Medicaid
    14.6%
    Medicare
    14.4%
    Non-Group
    2.33%
    Military or VA

    Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Helena, MT grew by 14.7% from 4.03% to 4.63%.

    The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Helena, MT changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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    Economy

    The economy of Helena, MT employs 16.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Helena, MT were Health Care & Social Assistance (2,913 people), Public Administration (2,667 people), and Retail Trade (1,704 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($80,757), Finance & Insurance ($76,250), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($74,525).

    Employment

    Occupations

    16.7k
    2024 Value
    ± 1,019
    2.03%
    1 Year growth
    ± 8.53%

    From 2023 to 2024, employment in Helena, MT grew at a rate of 2.03%, from 16.3k employees to 16.7k employees.

    The most common job groups, by number of people living in Helena, MT, are Management Occupations (2,231 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,524 people), and Business & Financial Operations Occupations (1,425 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Helena, MT.

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    Industries

    Employment by Industries

    16.7k
    2024 Value
    ± 1,019
    2.03%
    1 Year growth
    ± 8.53%

    From 2023 to 2024, employment in Helena, MT grew at a rate of 2.03%, from 16.3k employees to 16.7k employees.

    The most common employment sectors for those who live in Helena, MT, are Health Care & Social Assistance (2,913 people), Public Administration (2,667 people), and Retail Trade (1,704 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Helena, MT, though some of these residents may live in Helena, MT and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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    Median Earnings by Industry

    $57,347
    Median earning men ± $6,076
    $45,553
    Median earning women ± $3,328

    The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($120,644), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($73,854), and Public Administration ($69,438).

    The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($63,036), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($61,417), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($59,355).

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    Education

    The student population of Helena, MT in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 1,139 male students and 1,571 female students.

    The largest universities in Helena, MT by number of degrees awarded are Carroll College (271 and 50%) and Helena College University of Montana (271 and 50%).

    The most popular majors in Helena, MT are General Studies (81 and 14.9%), Registered Nursing (69 and 12.7%), and Airframe Mechanics & Aircraft Maintenance Technology (32 and 5.9%).

    The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $40,132.

    Admissions & Enrollments

    Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

    University
    Measure

    In 2024 in Helena, MT, the percentage of applicants admitted was 70.9%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 21.6%. N/A

    The line chart  shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

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    Completions

    Concentrations

    Most Common
    1. Registered Nursing
      38 degrees awarded
    2. General Biological Sciences
      25 degrees awarded
    3. General Health Services
      25 degrees awarded

    In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Helena, MT was Registered Nursing with 38 degrees awarded.

    This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Helena, MT according to their major.

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    Universities

    Gender
    Largest Universities by degrees awarded
    1. Carroll College
      271 degrees awarded
    2. Helena College University of Montana
      271 degrees awarded

    In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Carroll College with 271 degrees awarded.

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    Awarded Degrees over Time

    The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

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    Tuition

    Average Net Price by Sector

    Universities

    Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($40,132) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

    Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,352) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

    Public, 2-year ($1,516) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

    The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

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    Housing & Living

    The median property value in Helena, MT was $387,300 in 2024, which is 1.16 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $355,100 to $387,300, a 9.07% increase. The homeownership rate in Helena, MT is 52.6%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

    People in Helena, MT have an average commute time of 13.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Helena, MT is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

    Housing

    Property

    $387,300
    Median Property Value 2024
    ±$12,665
    $8,303
    Median Property Taxes
    ±$622

    The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Helena, MT the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

    The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Helena, MT compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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    Rent vs Own

    52.6%
    Homeownership
    2024
    62.6%
    Homeowners with Mortgage
    2024

    In 2024, 52.6% of the housing units in Helena, MT were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 53.8%.

    This chart shows the percentage of owner in Helena, MT compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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    Equity

    Household Income

    Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
    $71,036
    Median Household Income
    ± $3,116
    15.8k
    Number of Households
    ± 926

    In 2024, the median household income of the 15.8k households in Helena, MT grew to $71,036 from the previous year's value of $69,341.

    The following chart displays the households in Helena, MT distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

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    Wage Distribution

    The closest comparable wage GINI for Helena, MT is from Montana.
    0.458
    2024 Wage GINI in Montana
    0.46
    2023 Wage GINI in Montana

    In 2024, the income inequality in Montana was 0.458 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.613% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Montana was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Montana in comparison to the national average.

    This chart shows the number of workers in Montana across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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    Transportation

    Commuter Transportation

    Most Common Commute in 2024
    1. Drove Alone (64.4%)
    2. Worked At Home (16.2%)
    3. Carpooled (9.2%)

    In 2024, 64.4% of workers in Helena, MT drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (16.2%) and those who carpooled to work (9.2%).

    The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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    Commute Time

    13.7 minutes
    Average Travel Time

    Using averages, employees in Helena, MT have a shorter commute time (13.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, N/A% of the workforce in Helena, MT have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

    The chart below shows how the median household income in Helena, MT compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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    Car Ownership

    2 cars
    Average Number

    The following chart displays the households in Helena, MT distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Helena, MT have 2 cars.

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    Poverty

    Poverty & Diversity

    8.83% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Helena, MT (2.86k out of 32.4k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 65 - 74 and then Males 18 - 24.

    The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Helena, MT is White, followed by Native American and Hispanic.

    The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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