City profile · Montana · Census ACS 2023

Butte-Silver Bow (balance), MT

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Butte-Silver Bow (balance) — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

34,929
Residents
$57,633
Median income
$225,100
Median home
$1,336
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Butte-Silver Bow (balance), MT

Butte-Silver Bow (balance) is a city in Montana with a population of 34,929 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $57,633 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 9.0%. Typical homes in Butte-Silver Bow (balance) are valued around $225,100, and the median resident age is 40.2 years. About 27.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 55.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 109 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 68% from five years earlier.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Montana registers 94.6 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,336 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $175 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in Butte-Silver Bow (balance) report an average commute of 15.0 minutes, with 77.2% driving alone and 7.2% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 33.3 out of 100 (Very Low).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

34,929 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Montana

Median Household Income

$57,633 /yr

Poverty 9.0%

Cost of Living Index

94.6 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Butte-Silver Bow (balance) compare to other US cities?

Where Butte-Silver Bow (balance) sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 32% higher than other cities
Home value 50% pricier than other cities
Median rent 61% pricier than other cities

Percentiles compare Butte-Silver Bow (balance) against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Butte-Silver Bow (balance), MT Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Butte-Silver Bow (balance), MT. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Butte-Silver Bow (balance), MT — median $57,633/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Butte-Silver Bow (balance), MT — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 27.7%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 9.0%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 55.6%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
34,929
Median Income
$57,633
Median Home Value
$225,100
Median Age
40.2
Poverty Rate
9.0%
Labor force participation
55.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
27.7%

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized

📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
109
housing units authorized
Single-Family
65
detached homes
Multifamily
44
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
3.1
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 65
2020 141
2021 72
2022 147
2023 100
2024 109

Permit volume increased 68% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
15.0 minutes
Drive Alone
77.2%
Carpool
10.6%
Public Transit
0.9%
Walk
2.7%
Work from Home
7.2%
Other
1.4%

Based on 15,584 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Montana — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$80
avg/month
Natural Gas
$55
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$40
avg/month
Total Utilities
$175
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Montana state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Montana state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
94.6
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,336/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
33.3 / 100
Very Low
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Butte-Silver Bow (balance), MT Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Butte-Silver Bow (balance), MT — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Butte-Silver Bow (balance) compares to nearby Montana cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Butte-Silver Bow (balance)) plus the nearest peer cities in Montana, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

MT

Butte-Silver Bow (balance)

57.63% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$57,633
Brackets
35
Selected

MT

Helena

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$3,310
Brackets
33
Selected

MT

Kalispell

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,680
Brackets
27
Selected

MT

Bozeman

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$5,500
Brackets
55
Census ACS 5-year FIPS MT Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Butte-Silver Bow (balance), MT?

What is the population of Butte-Silver Bow (balance), MT? +

Butte-Silver Bow (balance), MT has a population of 34,929 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Butte-Silver Bow (balance), MT? +

The median household income in Butte-Silver Bow (balance) is $57,633 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Butte-Silver Bow (balance)? +

Butte-Silver Bow (balance) has a cost of living index of 94.6 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

What is the median home value in Butte-Silver Bow (balance), MT? +

The median home value in Butte-Silver Bow (balance) is $225,100, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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