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Boulder vs Three Forks

36 miles apart. The biggest differences: home values (+86% in Three Forks) and rent (+43% in Three Forks).

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Boulder, MTHomes around $348KMontana · 1,284 people
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Three Forks, MTA history townMontana · 1,919 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

BoulderHomes around $348K
Housing$348K typical home26% below the MT typical home HealthHealthier than 68%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates History12 archive photos & papers3 places on the National Register All about Boulder →
Three ForksA history town
History24 archive photos & papers7 places on the National Register HealthHealthier than 78%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Housing$557K typical home18% above the MT typical home All about Three Forks →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Home values+86%
Homes cost more in Three Forks
Three Forks $395,800Boulder $212,300
Rent+43%
Rent runs higher in Three Forks
Three Forks $1,330Boulder $928
Property tax bill+22%
Tax bills are bigger in Three Forks
Three Forks $2,243Boulder $1,834
Growth since 2010+4.9 pts
Three Forks has grown faster since 2010
Three Forks +6.4%Boulder +1.5%
Typical home built14 yrs
Boulder’s homes are older
Three Forks 1985Boulder 1971
Work in town+8.5 pts
More of Three Forks’s workers stay in town
Three Forks 11.3%Boulder 2.8%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,110 more a month in Three Forks

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Boulder$2,080/mo
Typical home $348K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.86% · or rent about $928/mo · Housing →
Three Forks$3,180/mo
Typical home $557K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.57% · or rent about $1,330/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,110 a month, about $13,300 a year, between Three Forks and Boulder.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Montana ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
B−BoulderBetter than 46% of districts in the state B−Three ForksBetter than 47% of districts in the state
Health
B+BoulderHealthier than 68% of U.S. towns A−Three ForksHealthier than 78% of U.S. towns
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
BoulderThree Forks
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)77th68th
Outdoors & history
BoulderThree Forks
Trails—1 mi
Conserved land—12.3%
National Register places37
Archive photos1224
Famous people born here—1
Community
BoulderThree Forks
Library hours a week42 hrs42 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

36 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

BoulderMTThree ForksMT
Boulder ↔ Three Forks36 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

BoulderThree Forks
People
Population 1,284Lowest 1,919Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1.5%Lowest MT: +9.6% +6.4%Highest MT: +9.6%
Median age 41.4±7.7 about the MT average 41.4±17 about the MT average
Kids under 18 20.3%±6.8Highest MT: 21% 18.1%±5.9Lowest MT: 21%
Boulder and Three Forks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 19.8%±5.7Lowest MT: 20.1% 21.8%±5.8Highest MT: 20.1%
Three Forks and Boulder are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 22.1%Highest MT: 35.2% 21%Lowest MT: 35.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.5%±3.8Highest MT: 5.2% 2.3%±2.4Lowest MT: 5.2%
Boulder and Three Forks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $72,500±$22kLowest about the MT average $79,784±$17kHighest 10% above MT
Three Forks and Boulder are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $212,300±$44kLowest 44% below MT $395,800±$43kHighest 5% above MT
Rentmedian gross, monthly $928±$282Lowest 14% below MT $1,330±$84Highest 23% above MT
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,834Lowest 32% below MT $2,243Highest 17% below MT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 12.2%±21.6Lowest MT: 44.8% 47.3%±29.1Highest MT: 44.8%
Three Forks and Boulder are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 3.8%Lowest MT: 11.5% 6.2%Highest MT: 11.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 73.3%Highest MT: 69.2% 73.2%Lowest MT: 69.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1971Lowest 10 yrs older than MT 1985Highest 4 yrs newer than MT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 25 minHighest 30% above MT 24 minLowest 26% above MT
Work from home 7%±5.2Lowest MT: 12.5% 9%±7.3Highest MT: 12.5%
Three Forks and Boulder are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.8%Lowest 11.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 25.3 miLowest 26.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.59Lowest 0.63Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Helena (32%)Bozeman (21%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Three ForksFew work in Boulder
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.6%Lowest 12.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 0.5 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.3 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 3Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 97.0Lowest 100Highest
Schools
School district Boulder Elem · Jefferson H SThree Forks Elem · Three Forks H S
High school in town Jefferson High SchoolThree Forks High School
Students per teacherat that high school 16.1Lowest 18.6Highest
Montana average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Boulder neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Life in Boulder

1 neighbor in Boulder can answer.

Three Forks neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Three Forks’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Boulder

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Roundup2,003 people · $166K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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