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.

Down paymentRate%

Kevin$390/mo

Typical home $65K (Census) · tax rate 0.90% · Housing →

Melstone$1,050/mo

Typical home $156K (Census) · tax rate est. 1.8% · Housing →

The difference: $660 a month, about $8,000 a year, between Melstone and Kevin.

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

–KevinNot graded B+MelstoneBetter than 69% of districts in the state

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

KevinMelstone

Snow a year39″43″

January low6°F 14°F

July high82°F 88°F

Growing season (days)115d 141d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)14th 72nd

Outdoors & history

KevinMelstone

Trails1 mi —

Conserved land5.3%—

Settled1910 1908

National Register places1 —

Archive photos1 —

Famous people born here1 —

Community

KevinMelstone

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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

241 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

KevinMT MelstoneMT

Kevin ↔ Melstone241 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.

Only big differences vs Montana average

KevinMelstone

People

Population 108Highest 80Lowest

Median age 49.5±22.9Highest 23% above MT 47.5±14.8Lowest 18% above MT

Kevin and Melstone are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 30.6%±19.3Highest MT: 21% 27.5%±28.3Lowest MT: 21%

Kevin and Melstone are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 18.5%±19.6Highest MT: 20.1% 11.3%±40.1Lowest MT: 20.1%

Kevin and Melstone are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 0%Lowest MT: 35.2% 9.4%Highest MT: 35.2%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±14.4 MT: 5.2% 0%±19.4 MT: 5.2%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $38,333±$12kLowest 47% below MT $65,625±$20kHighest 9% below MT

Melstone and Kevin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $65,000±$22kLowest 83% below MT $156,300±$152kHighest 58% below MT

Melstone and Kevin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $588 78% below MT —

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 33.3%±100Lowest MT: 44.8% 100%±100Highest MT: 44.8%

Melstone and Kevin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 32.4%Highest MT: 11.5% 17.5%Lowest MT: 11.5%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 83.3%Lowest MT: 69.2% 93.5%Highest MT: 69.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1957Lowest 24 yrs older than MT 1985Highest 4 yrs newer than MT

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 21 minLowest 8% above MT 28 minHighest 45% above MT

Work from home 17.6%±18.6Highest MT: 12.5% 12.8%±17.7Lowest MT: 12.5%

Kevin and Melstone are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 9.8%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 17.3 miLowest 64.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.14Lowest 1.49Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Sunburst (24%)Billings (34%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MelstoneFew work in Kevin

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 5.3%Highest 1.7%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 1.2 miHighest 0.1 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 3.0 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 83.5Highest 53.6Lowest

Schools

School district —Melstone Elem · Melstone H S

High school in town —Melstone High School

Students per teacherat that high school — 6.5

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.

Kevin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Kevin’s Town Square.

Melstone neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Melstone’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Kevin and Melstone

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

Towns like Kevin

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Winnett204 people · $176K 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.

Kevin vs Melstone

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $660 more a month in Melstone

Grades and rankings, side by side

What daily life feels like in each

241 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Kevin and Melstone

Towns like Kevin

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