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%

Opheim$1,450/mo

Typical home $208K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.06% · Housing →

Melstone$1,050/mo

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

The difference: $390 a month, about $4,700 a year, between Opheim and Melstone.

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

–OpheimNot 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

OpheimMelstone

Snow a year33″43″

January low1°F 14°F

July high81°F 88°F

Growing season (days)99d 141d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)28th 72nd

Outdoors & history

OpheimMelstone

Trails1 mi —

Conserved land6.2%—

Settled—1908

Community

OpheimMelstone

Library hours a week30 hrs —

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

170 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

OpheimMT MelstoneMT

Opheim ↔ Melstone170 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

OpheimMelstone

People

Population 86Highest 80Lowest

Median age 50.8±9.9Highest 26% above MT 47.5±14.8Lowest 18% above MT

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

Kids under 18 23.3%±24.9Lowest MT: 21% 27.5%±28.3Highest MT: 21%

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

Age 65+ 24.4%±38.2Highest MT: 20.1% 11.3%±40.1Lowest MT: 20.1%

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

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

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±18.1 MT: 5.2% 0%±19.4 MT: 5.2%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $46,500±$36kLowest 36% below MT $65,625±$20kHighest 9% below MT

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $48,600±$19kLowest 87% below MT $156,300±$152kHighest 58% below MT

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,000 63% below MT —

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100Lowest MT: 44.8% 100%±100Highest MT: 44.8%

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

Below poverty line 7%Lowest MT: 11.5% 17.5%Highest MT: 11.5%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 85.7%Lowest MT: 69.2% 93.5%Highest MT: 69.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1943Lowest 38 yrs older than MT 1985Highest 4 yrs newer than MT

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 13 minLowest 31% below MT 28 minHighest 45% above MT

Work from home 20.9%±21.1Highest MT: 12.5% 12.8%±17.7Lowest MT: 12.5%

Opheim 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 64.3 mi 64.3 mi

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.73Highest 1.49Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Glasgow (32%)Billings (34%)

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

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 6.2%Highest 1.7%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 0.9 miHighest 0.1 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 4.5 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 157Highest 53.6Lowest

Schools

School district Opheim K-12 SchoolsMelstone Elem · Melstone H S

High school in town Opheim High SchoolMelstone High School

Students per teacherat that high school 2.2Lowest 6.5Highest

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.

Opheim neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Opheim’s Town Square.

Melstone neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Melstone’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Opheim

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Kevin108 people · $65K homes

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Saco140 people · $75K homes

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Medicine Lake213 people · $107K homes

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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.

Opheim vs Melstone

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $390 more a month in Opheim

Grades and rankings, side by side

What daily life feels like in each

170 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Opheim and Melstone

Towns like Opheim

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