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%

Outlook$760/mo

Typical home $125K (Census) · tax rate 1.05% · Housing →

Melstone$1,050/mo

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

The difference: $290 a month, about $3,500 a year, between Melstone and Outlook.

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

–OutlookNot 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

OutlookMelstone

Snow a year31″43″

January low2°F 14°F

July high81°F 88°F

Growing season (days)125d 141d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)8th 72nd

Outdoors & history

OutlookMelstone

Settled1913 1908

National Register places1 —

Famous people born here1 —

Community

OutlookMelstone

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

213 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

OutlookMT MelstoneMT

Outlook ↔ Melstone213 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

OutlookMelstone

People

Population 51Lowest 80Highest

Median age 51.8±28.1Highest 28% above MT 47.5±14.8Lowest 18% above MT

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

Kids under 18 23.5%±40.4Lowest MT: 21% 27.5%±28.3Highest MT: 21%

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

Age 65+ 37.3%±31.7Highest MT: 20.1% 11.3%±40.1Lowest MT: 20.1%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 33.3%Highest MT: 35.2% 9.4%Lowest MT: 35.2%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.9%±22.3Highest MT: 5.2% 0%±19.4Lowest MT: 5.2%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $58,125±$8kLowest 20% below MT $65,625±$20kHighest 9% below MT

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $125,000±$81kLowest 67% below MT $156,300±$152kHighest 58% below MT

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,313 51% below MT —

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent — 100%±100 MT: 44.8%

Below poverty line 9.8%Lowest MT: 11.5% 17.5%Highest MT: 11.5%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 100%Highest MT: 69.2% 93.5%Lowest MT: 69.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1983Lowest 2 yrs newer than MT 1985Highest 4 yrs newer than MT

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 26 minLowest 36% above MT 28 minHighest 45% above MT

Work from home 31.3%±12.8Highest MT: 12.5% 12.8%±17.7Lowest MT: 12.5%

Outlook 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 12.8 miLowest 64.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.12Lowest 1.49Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Plentywood (54%)Billings (34%)

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

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.1%Lowest 1.7%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.5 miHighest 0.1 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 17.8Lowest 53.6Highest

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.

Outlook neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Outlook’s Town Square.

Melstone neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Melstone’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Outlook

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Opheim86 people · $49K 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.

Outlook vs Melstone

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $290 more a month in Melstone

Grades and rankings, side by side

What daily life feels like in each

213 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Outlook and Melstone

Towns like Outlook

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