Work & commute · Helena

Work & commute in Helena, MT

63% of Helena’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Helena West Side (4%), Missoula (3%) and Bozeman (3%). Half commute less than 2 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

63%

9,914 of 15,726 working residents

Typical commute

2 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

14 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

16%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 5,812 Helena residents head out of town to work, 9,914 work right here, and 20,981 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Helena.

5,812live here, work elsewhere

9,914live and work here

20,981work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Helena goes to work

Helena (in town)right here

63%9,914

Helena West Side4.6 mi away

4%696

Missoula97 mi away

3%542

Bozeman78.2 mi away

3%511

Great Falls71.2 mi away

3%482

Billings174.9 mi away

2%368

Helena Valley West Central5 mi away

2%342

East Helena4.7 mi away

1%162

Montana City6.4 mi away

1%135

Helena Valley Southeast5.9 mi away

1%130

Everywhere elseother towns and states

16%2,444

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Helena commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

74%

22%

74%Under 10 mi

1%10–24 mi

3%25–50 mi

22%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Helena is a job hub

1.96jobs per working resident

A job hub

2.0 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Helena are

30,895 jobs are based in Helena. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Helena’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Helena

30,895 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)10%

Trade, transport & utilities15%

Services (health, schools, offices…)75%

$1,250 a month or less14%

$1,251–$3,333 a month22%

Over $3,333 a month64%

Jobs Helena residents hold

15,726 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)10%

Trade, transport & utilities15%

Services (health, schools, offices…)75%

$1,250 a month or less15%

$1,251–$3,333 a month24%

Over $3,333 a month61%

+5%

Jobs based in Helena, 2013 → 2023: 29,483 → 30,895. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.