Helena is #1 in Montana for trails
Helena is ranked on 35 lists against the 43 Montana towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 10 and the top quarter on 9.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every MT town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Helena marked.
Helena out-ranks every neighbor it can be compared with
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
1 spot from the top 3 for working from home
Lists where Helena sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Helena lands in the top half on 17 of 22 lists
Each dot is Helena’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MT, the right end is last. Areas where Helena does best come first.
Longer growing season than 88% of Montana
Not better or worse, just Helena’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Where Helena lands in every MT ranking
35 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Anaconda-Deer Lodge County · 61.7%
#5
Most trails#1 Helena · 4.3 mi / sq mi
#1
Most walkable#1 Miles City · 170 / sq mi
#13 
Health
Healthiest#1 Four Corners · 95 / 100
#7
Lowest obesity#1 Bozeman · 22%
#9
Fewest smokers#1 Bozeman · 9%
#4
Most active#1 Four Corners · 13%
#7
Fewest uninsured#1 Montana City · 6%
#4
Lowest depression#1 Bigfork · 22%
#25
Closest to a top hospital#1 Miles City · 0.7 mi
#18 People
Most educated#1 Bozeman · 65.1%
#5
Youngest#1 Malmstrom AFB · 22.5
#28
Oldest#1 Red Lodge · 59.7
#17
Most residents 65+#1 Hamilton · 34.3%
#13
Most kids#1 North Browning · 34.7%
#28 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Glasgow · 8.5 min
#11 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Red Lodge · 23.8%
#24
B
Most new homes#1 Belgrade · 24.1 per 1,000
#9
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Libby · +93.3%
#22 
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Wolf Point · 1.6 yrs
#29
Cheapest rent#1 North Browning · $475/mo
#28
Lowest property tax#1 North Browning · $199/yr
#34 Safety
Safest#1 Libby · 16.3
#20 Climate
Snowiest#1 Red Lodge · 142 in
#26
Least snow#1 Dillon · 11 in
#9
Mildest winters#1 Libby · 21.1°
#21
Hottest summers#1 Miles City · 90.0°
#19
Coolest summers#1 Anaconda-Deer Lodge County · 66.9°
#24
Longest growing season#1 Glendive · 153 days
#6
Wettest#1 Anaconda-Deer Lodge County · 35 in
#34 The number on the right is Helena’s spot. All of Montana’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every MT list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.