Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.
Place dossier plate
SheetMT-FORT-BENTON-MT · Fort Benton, MT 1,470 pop · income 46th pct · 2 tracts
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 Fort Benton
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Fort Benton on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Salem · lowest
35,679
Salem · lowest
35,679 median HH income
26.7% of the leader · rank #1
Brutus · near
67,159
Brutus · near
67,159 median HH income
50.2% of the leader · rank #2
Jennings Lodge · near
67,164
Jennings Lodge · near
67,164 median HH income
50.2% of the leader · rank #3
Fort Benton · this city
67,171
Fort Benton · this city
67,171 median HH income
50.2% of the leader · rank #4
Brook Park · near
67,178
Brook Park · near
67,178 median HH income
50.2% of the leader · rank #5
Fremont · near
67,179
Fremont · near
67,179 median HH income
50.2% of the leader · rank #6
Van Meter · highest
133,750
Van Meter · highest
133,750 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
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.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Fort Benton 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: 1,470.
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Fort Benton places in the 46th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.
46th
percentile, household income
43rd
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: Fort Benton, MT
Fort Benton is a small town in Montana, home to 1,470 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Fort Benton households earn a median of $67,171 annually, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 1.1%. Fort Benton's housing stock carries a median value of $201,900, and the median resident age is 43.3 years. About 29.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 52.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 4 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Low Activity). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 45.4°F with 13.2 inches of precipitation per year and 38.2 inches of snowfall.
Living costs in Montana run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Montana scores 94.6 (Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,336 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Montana's average monthly utility costs around $175 (state average). On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 33.3 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Fort Benton'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 work and mobility to climate and hazard context to population change to housing and income to comparison shortlist to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Fort Benton, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history, local building permits, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for FBI reported-crime rates; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Within-city variation
What can 2 Census tracts reveal inside Fort Benton?
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.
What does the journey to work look like in Fort Benton?
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.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 69.1%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
What physical conditions frame life in Fort Benton?
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 45.4°F, with 13.2 inches of precipitation and 38.2 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Montana is 33.3 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
Which cities make useful reference points for Fort Benton?
Within Montana, the closest population matches are Chinook (1,460 residents, $71,500 income); West Yellowstone (1,457 residents, $57,167 income); Bonner-West Riverside (1,445 residents, $59,609 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Leadville North, CO (1,470 residents); Mishicot, WI (1,470 residents); Smoke Rise, AL (1,469 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.
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.
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 Fort Benton growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -38 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -2.6% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 4 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
-2.6%
2025 estimate
1,416
2020 estimate
1,454
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
How far does income reach against housing in Fort Benton?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 1.1%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
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.
Household income
$67,171
Home value
$201,900
Value / income
3.0×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What does the education layer cover for Fort Benton?
The NCES join finds 3 public schools within the city match. 29.1% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
3
Bachelor's degree+
29.1%
Poverty estimate
1.1%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Below median income · poverty 1.1% (Very low poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
94.6 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Montana average
C+
City profile score · Fort Benton, MT
64/100
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.
Poverty rate A+
1.1%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
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
29.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income D
$67,171
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).
Fort Benton profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 92/100 (A+) · 1.1%
Cost of living: 66/100 (B-) · 94.6 index
Bachelor's+ share: 56/100 (C) · 29.1%
Household income: 45/100 (D) · $67,171
How does Fort Benton compare to other US cities?
Where Fort Benton sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income46% higher than other cities
Home value43% pricier than other cities
Median rent61% 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 Fort Benton 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 Fort Benton near the bottom of Montana's cities
Among the 317 Montana cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Fort Benton ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Fort Benton only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#110 of 282
61st percentile in Montana
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 317
0th percentile in Montana
Median Home Value
#163 of 279
42nd percentile in Montana
Poverty Rate
#225 of 315
28th percentile in Montana
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#98 of 317
69th 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.
Gauge source note
46th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How Fort Benton's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$201,900Among the most affordablemore affordable than 57% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
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
Fort Benton's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.0×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#6,723 of 15,516
More affordable than 57% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#5,685 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 3.0×, Fort Benton sits in the moderate band:
national rank #6,723 of 15,516 and #5,685 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
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
$67,171Fort Benton, MT median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Fort Benton, 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 Fort Benton, MT.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)29.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)1.1%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)52.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,470
Median Income
$67,171
Median Home Value
$201,900
Median Age
43.3
Poverty Rate
1.1%
Labor force participation
52.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
29.1%
Climate
Avg Temperature
45.4°F
Annual Precipitation
13.2"
Annual Snowfall
38.2"
Schools
Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Fort Benton's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
1,454 residents
2021
1,454 residents
2022
1,441 residents
2023
1,424 residents
2024
1,416 residents
2025
1,416 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Low Activity
Total Permits (2024)
4
housing units authorized
Single-Family
2
detached homes
Multifamily
2
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
2.7
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
0
0
0
-
2020
1
1
0
$0.1M
2021
1
1
0
$0.3M
2022
2
2
0
$0.3M
2023
3
3
0
$0.8M
2024
4
2
2
$1.3M
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
69.1%
Carpool
15.2%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
10.3%
Work from Home
2.8%
Other
2.6%
Based on 564 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 Fort Benton. 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 Fort Benton 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 Fort Benton sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Fort Benton 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.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, 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.