Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Hardin vs Laurel

57 miles apart. The biggest differences: home values (+60% in Laurel) and work in town (+28.7 pts in Hardin).

×
Hardin, MTHomes around $226KMontana · 3,742 people
×
Laurel, MTAn outdoors townMontana · 7,215 people
Swap order
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.

HardinHomes around $226K
Housing$226K typical home52% below the MT typical home HistorySettled in 191114 places on the National Register Health70% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Hardin →
LaurelAn outdoors town
Outdoors#7 most walkable in MT0.9 miles of trails across 9 parks and preserves SchoolsBetter than 32%of MT districts Housing$378K typical home20% below the MT typical home All about Laurel →
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+60%
Homes cost more in Laurel
Laurel $235,100Hardin $147,100
Work in town+28.7 pts
More of Hardin’s workers stay in town
Hardin 46.3%Laurel 17.6%
Work from home+11 pts
More people work from home in Laurel
Laurel 12.1%Hardin 1.1%
Trails2.3×
Laurel has more miles of trail
Laurel 0.9 miHardin 0.4 mi
Street grid+86%
Laurel has the more walkable street grid
Laurel 123Hardin 65.9
Jobs per worker+65%
Hardin is more of a job hub
Hardin 1.14Laurel 0.69
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $850 more a month in Laurel

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.

Hardin$1,390/mo
Typical home $226K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.10% · or rent about $771/mo · Housing →
Laurel$2,240/mo
Typical home $378K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.82% · or rent about $974/mo · Housing →

The difference: $850 a month, about $10,200 a year, between Laurel and Hardin.

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

Laurel places higher on 13 of 21 MT lists

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.

Safety
CHardinSafer than 29% of U.S. towns DLaurelSafer than 10% of U.S. towns
Schools
DHardinBetter than 7% of districts in the state CLaurelBetter than 32% of districts in the state
Health
CHardinHealthier than 30% of U.S. towns BLaurelHealthier than 64% of U.S. towns
8Hardin
13Laurel

Lists won, of 21 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Lowest depressionHealth · 42 towns #8#36 Most remote workersWork · 42 towns #41#13 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 42 towns #37#10 Highest graduation rateSchools · 36 towns #29#8 Most walkableOutdoors · 43 towns #24#7 Most activeHealth · 42 towns #33#17 HealthiestHealth · 42 towns #38#23 Cheapest rentCost of living · 42 towns #6#20

Left end = #1 in Montana. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Hardin’s rankings →

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
HardinLaurel
Snow a year28″48″
January low11°F15°F
July high91°F89°F
Growing season (days)135d149d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)36th24th
Outdoors & history
HardinLaurel
Trails0 mi1 mi
Conserved land2.5%6.6%
Settled1911—
National Register places144
Archive photos18—
Famous people born here7—
Community
HardinLaurel
Library hours a week44 hrs46 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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

57 miles apart

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

HardinMTLaurelMT
Hardin ↔ Laurel57 miles apart
Who commutes between them
12 Hardin residents work in Laurel (0.8% of its workers)
Work & commute in Hardin →
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.

HardinLaurel
People
Population 3,742Lowest 7,215Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.9%Highest MT: +9.6% +7.5%Lowest MT: +9.6%
Median age 37.1±7.7 8% below MT 37.1±3.4 8% below MT
Kids under 18 23.1%±5.8Lowest MT: 21% 23.4%±5Highest MT: 21%
Laurel and Hardin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 13.7%±3.5Lowest MT: 20.1% 14.5%±3Highest MT: 20.1%
Laurel and Hardin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 20.5%Lowest MT: 35.2% 20.8%Highest MT: 35.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.5%±1.8Highest MT: 5.2% 1.9%±1.4Lowest MT: 5.2%
Hardin and Laurel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $60,423±$4kLowest 17% below MT $68,474±$6kHighest 6% below MT
Laurel and Hardin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $147,100±$16kLowest 61% below MT $235,100±$26kHighest 37% below MT
Rentmedian gross, monthly $771±$224Lowest 29% below MT $974±$209Highest 10% below MT
Laurel and Hardin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,623Lowest 40% below MT $1,939Highest 28% below MT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 23.3%±16.4Lowest MT: 44.8% 29.7%±12.3Highest MT: 44.8%
Laurel and Hardin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7.2%Lowest MT: 11.5% 10%Highest MT: 11.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 54.1%Lowest MT: 69.2% 58.7%Highest MT: 69.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1970Lowest 11 yrs older than MT 1975Highest 6 yrs older than MT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minLowest 6% below MT 19 minHighest about the MT average
Work from home 1.1%±1.5Lowest MT: 12.5% 12.1%±7Highest MT: 12.5%
Work in townworking residents 46.3%Highest 17.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 miLowest 12.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.14Highest 0.69Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Billings (13%)Billings (48%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 1% work in LaurelFew work in Hardin
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.5%Lowest 6.6%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.4 miLowest 0.9 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.3 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Lowest 9Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 65.9Lowest 123Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #40 of 40 in MT#33 of 40 in MT
School district Hardin Elem · Hardin H SLaurel Elem · Laurel H S
High school in town Hardin High SchoolLaurel High School
Students per teacherat that high school 14.8Lowest 16.2Highest
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.

Hardin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hardin’s Town Square.

Laurel neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Laurel’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Hardin and Laurel

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Hardin

+ Compare
Shelby3,216 people · $233K homes
+ Compare
Sidney6,171 people · $237K homes
+ Compare
Conrad2,618 people · $189K homes
+ Compare
Wolf Point2,602 people · $119K 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.

Post to Hardin

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in