Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT

Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA)

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2024 Population

158,070

US Senator

Steve Daines

Republican Party

US Senator

Tim Sheehy

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

40.3

1.26% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

10.7%

3.47% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$72,908

3.72% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$327,100

11.1% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

73,614

2.5% 1-year growth

About

3.48% of the households in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, 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.

99.2% of the residents in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT are Great Falls College Montana State University (299 degrees awarded in 2024), University of Providence (279 degrees), and Helena College University of Montana (271 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT was $327,100, and the homeownership rate was 69.3%.

Most people in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 17.3 minutes. The average car ownership in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT was 2 cars per household.

Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT borders Flathead, Glacier & Lincoln Counties--Kalispell City PUMA, MT, Southwest Montana--Butte-Silver Bow & Hamilton City PUMA, MT, and Central Montana--Havre & Livingston City PUMA, MT.

United States Montana

Population & Diversity

Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT is home to a population of 158k people, from which 99.2% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.08% of Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT residents were born outside of the country (3.28k people).

In 2024, there were 21.5 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (135k people) in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT than any other race or ethnicity. There were 6.28k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 3.74k American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

The most common non-English languages spoken as the primary language in households in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT are Spanish (1,873 households), German (928 households), and Tagalog (Incl. Filipino) (371 households).

Population & Diversity

Residents by Gender and Age

RACE/ETHNICITY

78,562

Women

49.4%

80,364

Men

50.6%

The resident population of United States in 2024 was 158,926 inhabitants, with 50.6% men, and 49.4% women.

The visualization shows the distribution of the residents by gender and age in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT.

With the upper buttons you can add a filter by race.

Citizenship

99.2%

2024 Citizenship

99.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.2% of Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT was 99.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT

White (Non-Hispanic)
135k ± 679
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
6.28k ± 450
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
3.74k ± 405

4.7%

Hispanic Population

7.43k people

4.7% of the people in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT are hispanic (7.43k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

Most Common Origin

Canada
582 ± 591 people
Philippines
565 ± 583 people
Mexico
378 ± 477 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT was Canada, the natal country of 582 Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT residents, followed by Philippines with 565 and Mexico with 378.

Foreign-Born Population

2.08%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

3.28k people

1.91%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

3k people

As of 2024, 2.08% of Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT residents (3.28k 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 Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT was 1.91%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Non-English Households

Most Common Non-English Languages

Spanish
1,873 households (1.25%)
German
928 households (0.621%)
Tagalog (Incl. Filipino)
371 households (0.248%)

3.48% of the households in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language, which is lower than the national average of 22.3%. 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.

In 2024, the most common non-English language spoken in households in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT was Spanish. 1.25% of the households in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT reported speaking Spanish at home as the primary shared language between all members living in the household.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
5,103 ± 520
Vietnam
3,818 ± 361
Gulf War (1990s)
1,966 ± 290

Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.34 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT.

Health

93.6% of the population of Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT has health coverage, with 41% on employee plans, 17% on Medicaid, 13.5% on Medicare, 17% on non-group plans, and 5.11% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Montana see 1,200 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,200 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1350 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 250 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.6% were men and 50.4% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Montana.

1,200 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Montana

Primary care physicians in Montana see an average of 1,200 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,200 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Montana in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.5% under 18 years, 19.1% between 18 and 34 years, 37.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 20% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.6% were men and 50.4% were women.

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

Uninsured People

6.39%

Uninsured

41%

Employer Coverage

17%

Medicaid

13.5%

Medicare

17%

Non-Group

5.11%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT declined by 1.23% from 6.47% to 6.39%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Economy

The economy of Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT employs 73.6k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT were Construction (5,504 people), General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals (5,436 people), and Elementary & secondary schools (5,138 people), and the highest paying industries were Petroleum refining ($184,254), Computer Systems Design ($122,863), and Offices of chiropractors ($121,540).

Males in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT have an average income that is 1.27 times higher than the average income of females, which is $57,944. The income inequality in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT (measured using the Gini index) is 0.448, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Workforce Diversity

Measure

RACE/ETHNICITY

35,092

Women

47.7%

38,522

Men

52.3%

The workforce of Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT in 2024 was 73,614 people, with 47.7% woman, and 52.3% men.

The visualization shows the distribution of the workforce by gender and age in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT.

With the upper buttons you can see the distribution of the average salary and add a filter by race.

Occupations

73.6k

2024 Value

2.5%

1 Year growth

± 2.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT grew at a rate of 2.5%, from 71.8k employees to 73.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT, are Registered nurses (2,238 people), Other managers (1,997 people), and Driver/sales workers & truck drivers (1,741 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Montana.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Montana (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

73.6k

2024 Value

2.5%

1 Year growth

± 2.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT grew at a rate of 2.5%, from 71.8k employees to 73.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT, are Construction (5,504 people), General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals (5,436 people), and Elementary & secondary schools (5,138 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT, though some of these residents may live in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$52,267

Median earning men ± $1,424

$40,669

Median earning women ± $1,007

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($80,170), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($69,051), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($66,031).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($60,767), Manufacturing ($50,254), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($47,122).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Montana.

Y-Axis

2.24%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 508k people employed in Montana. This represents a 2.24% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 11.8%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Montana.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Montana went to Donald J. Trump with 58.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.96%).

Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy are the senators currently representing the state of Montana. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Montana is currently represented by 2 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT. Showing the available data for Montana.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (58.4%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (38.5%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (1.96%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Montana went to Donald J. Trump with 58.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.96%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Montana for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Montana

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Montana.

Steve Daines

Senator from Montana

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

Tim Sheehy

Senator from Montana

Assumed office on January 3, 2025

Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy are the senators currently representing Montana.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Montana over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2024, universities in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT awarded 1,260 degrees. The student population of Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 1,872 male students and 3,229 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT are White (977 and 77.5%), Two or More Races (75 and 5.95%), Unknown (59 and 4.68%), and Hispanic or Latino (53 and 4.21%).

The largest universities in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT by number of degrees awarded are Great Falls College Montana State University (299 and 23.7%), University of Providence (279 and 22.1%), and Helena College University of Montana (271 and 21.5%).

The most popular majors in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT are Registered Nursing (173 and 13.7%), Welding Technology (88 and 6.98%), and General Studies (84 and 6.67%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $35,090.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT, the percentage of applicants admitted was 67.6%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 25%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 5,101 (36.7% men and 63.3% women).

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.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 5,101 students enrolled in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT, 36.7% men and 63.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 3,859 records, of which 63.6% were women and 36.4% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
93 degrees awarded
General Biological Sciences
34 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
31 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT was Registered Nursing with 93 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Great Falls College Montana State University
299 degrees awarded
University of Providence
279 degrees awarded
Helena College University of Montana
271 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Great Falls College Montana State University with 299 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 421 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT, which is 0.502 times less than the 839 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 977 degrees mean that there were 13 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Two or More Races, with 75 degrees awarded.

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.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($35,090) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,083) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,458) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Measure

In 2024, 0.284% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.387% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population of Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT in 2024 were High School or Equivalent (38.2k), Some college (27.4k), and Bachelors Degree (26.8k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT was $327,100 in 2024, which is 0.983 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $294,400 to $327,100, a 11.1% increase. The homeownership rate in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT is 69.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT have an average commute time of 17.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$327,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$6,848

$46,285

Median Property Taxes

±$1,522

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 Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

69.3%

Homeownership

2024

67.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 69.3% of the housing units in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 69.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$72,908

Median Household Income

± $1,794

66.8k

Number of Households

± 1,886

In 2024, the median household income of the 66.8k households in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT grew to $72,908 from the previous year's value of $70,295.

The following chart displays the households in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, 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.

Wage Distribution

0.448

2024 Wage GINI in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT

0.457

2023 Wage GINI in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT

In 2024, the income inequality in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT was 0.448 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.95% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (73%)
Worked At Home (10.8%)
Carpooled (10.6%)

In 2024, 73% of workers in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (10.8%) and those who carpooled to work (10.6%).

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.

Commute Time

17.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT have a shorter commute time (17.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.36% of the workforce in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

10.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT (16.6k out of 155k 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 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Lewis and Clark & Cascade Counties--Great Falls & Helena City PUMA, MT is White, followed by Two Or More 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.