City profile · Montana · Census ACS 2023

Butte-Silver Bow, MT

Butte-Silver Bow's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

34,929
Residents
$57,633
Median income
$225,100
Median home
$1,336
Median rent (state)
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See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Butte-Silver Bow.

Place dossier plate

Sheet MT-BUTTE-SILVER-BOW-MT · Butte-Silver Bow, MT 34,929 pop · income 32nd pct · 9 tracts

POP-SMALL · INC-MID · COL-BELOW · SAFE-UNK · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-MID · BOOK-FEW

  • POP-SMALL 34,929
  • INC-MID $57,633
  • COL-BELOW 94.6
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-LOWER 32nd
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ North Miami Bea…
  • HOME-MID $225,100
  • BOOK-FEW 9 tracts

Nearest income peer: North Miami Beach, FL (+ $0 income $)

Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around Butte-Silver Bow

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Butte-Silver Bow on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Butte-Silver Bow on ACS population and median household income . Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar population

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 34,929.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $57,633. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Butte-Silver Bow - the verdict

Nationally, Butte-Silver Bow sits in the 32nd percentile for household income among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS.

32nd
percentile, household income
50th
percentile, home value
61st
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Butte-Silver Bow, MT

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 34,929 residents in Butte-Silver Bow, a small city within Montana. Butte-Silver Bow households earn a median of $57,633 annually, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 9.0%. Butte-Silver Bow's housing stock carries a median value of $225,100, and the median resident age is 40.2 years. 27.7% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 55.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 109 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 68% from five years earlier.

Living costs in Montana run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Montana at 94.6 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Below Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,336 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Montana's average monthly utility costs around $175 (state average). The average commute for Butte-Silver Bow workers runs 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).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Butte-Silver Bow's data

How this reading path is ordered

This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from within-city variation to comparison shortlist to work and mobility to housing and income to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Butte-Silver Bow, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, annual population history, within-city Census tract profiles, commute-mode shares. No matched row is reported here for matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

Question 1

What can 9 Census tracts reveal inside Butte-Silver Bow?

PlainCities matches 9 Census tracts to this city.

That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.

Explore Butte-Silver Bow's tract profiles →

2. Comparison shortlist

Which cities make useful reference points for Butte-Silver Bow?

Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.

Within Montana, the closest population matches are Helena (33,126 residents, $69,341 income); Kalispell (26,830 residents, $61,590 income); Bozeman (55,042 residents, $79,903 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Oildale, CA (34,971 residents); Timberwood Park, TX (34,980 residents); Pueblo West, CO (34,992 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Question 3

What does the journey to work look like in Butte-Silver Bow?

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 77.2%. The reported mean trip to work is 15.0 minutes.

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.

Compare commute patterns →

4. Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in Butte-Silver Bow?

This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.

The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 9.0%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Other supported questions

Why these stay compact

These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.

Population change

Is Butte-Silver Bow growing, shrinking, or holding steady?

Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +895 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +2.6% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 109 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.

Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.

2020 estimate
34,574
2025 estimate
35,469
Period change
+2.6%

Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.

See the national growth ranking →

Population

34,929 residents

Small city (10k–49k)

Median Household Income

$57,633 /yr

Below median income · poverty 9.0% (Above-median poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

94.6 (US=100)

Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Montana average

City profile score · Butte-Silver Bow, MT

47/100

4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians (income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.

Cost of living B-
94.6 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Bachelor's+ share C-
27.7%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Poverty rate D
9.0%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Household income F
$57,633

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Butte-Silver Bow profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Cost of living, Bachelor's+ share, Poverty rate, Household income. Cost of livingBachelor's+ sharePoverty rateHousehold income 47 D
Butte-Silver Bow profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Cost of living: 66/100 (B-) · 94.6 index
  • Bachelor's+ share: 54/100 (C-) · 27.7%
  • Poverty rate: 44/100 (D) · 9.0%
  • Household income: 31/100 (F) · $57,633

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

Butte-Silver Bow measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.

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

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Butte-Silver Bow against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Montana only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

Montana-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent places Butte-Silver Bow near the bottom of Montana's cities

Among the 317 Montana cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Butte-Silver Bow ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Butte-Silver Bow only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#159 of 282
44th percentile in Montana
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 317
0th percentile in Montana
Median Home Value
#143 of 279
49th percentile in Montana
Poverty Rate
#128 of 315
58th percentile in Montana
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#113 of 317
64th percentile in Montana
How in-state ranks are ordered

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Montana only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

32ndIncome percentile
Gauge source note

32nd percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Butte-Silver Bow's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$225,100 Among the most affordable more affordable than 50% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). This entry sits in this band. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Butte-Silver Bow $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Butte-Silver Bow's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.9×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#10,415 of 15,516
More affordable than 33% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,901 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)

At 3.9×, Butte-Silver Bow sits in the moderate band: national rank #10,415 of 15,516 and #1,901 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999). Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.

How this ratio is calculated

Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000. Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0). This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.

Income distribution context

$57,633 Butte-Silver Bow, MT median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Butte-Silver Bow, MT Butte-Silver Bow, MT's median household income ($57,633) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Butte-Silver Bow, MT-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Butte-Silver Bow, MT median $57,633/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern 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%
Butte-Silver Bow, MT median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Butte-Silver Bow, MT.

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%

Population Change

PEP vintage

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
34,000 residents34,500 residents35,000 residents35,500 residents36,000 residents 202020212022202320242025 34,574 residents 35,469 residents ▲ +2.6%
Butte-Silver Bow's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Read the chart as text
Period Population
2020 34,574 residents
2021 34,858 residents
2022 35,178 residents
2023 35,472 residents
2024 35,442 residents
2025 35,469 residents

Housing Supply

BPS source

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

Commute source

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

Montana statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $175

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Montana at $175 (electricity about $80 , water and sewer about $40 ).

These are Montana statewide averages, not a meter reading for Butte-Silver Bow. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Montana's BEA cost-of-living index is 94.6 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Butte-Silver Bow is $1,336/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Montana statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 33.3 / 100 (Very Low).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a Montana statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Butte-Silver Bow sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Butte-Silver Bow compares to similar-size Montana cities

Same-state peer method

Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.

City Population Median Household Income
Butte-Silver Bow (this city) 34,929 $57,633
Helena 33,126 $69,341
Kalispell 26,830 $61,590
Bozeman 55,042 $79,903
Census BPS 2024
Primary sources on this page

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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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