City profile · Montana · Census ACS 2023

Helena Valley Northeast, MT

Helena Valley Northeast's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

4,398
Residents
$137,724
Median income
$462,400
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 Helena Valley Northeast.

Place dossier plate

Sheet MT-HELENA-VALLEY-NORTHEAST-MT · Helena Valley Northeast, MT 4,398 pop · income 92nd pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-TOP · COL-BELOW · SAFE-UNK · RANK-TOP · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-HIGH · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 4,398
  • INC-TOP $137,724
  • COL-BELOW 94.6
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-TOP 92nd
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Dash Point
  • HOME-HIGH $462,400
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Dash Point, WA ( $3 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 Helena Valley Northeast

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Helena Valley Northeast 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 Helena Valley Northeast 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: 4,398.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $137,724. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Helena Valley Northeast - the verdict

Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Helena Valley Northeast places in the 92nd percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

92nd
percentile, household income
82nd
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: Helena Valley Northeast, MT

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 4,398 residents in Helena Valley Northeast, a small town within Montana. Median household income here is $137,724 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 0.0%. Helena Valley Northeast's housing stock carries a median value of $462,400, and the median resident age is 47.8 years. About 47.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 62.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

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. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,336 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Montana run around $175, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 33.3 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very Low).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Helena Valley Northeast'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 work and mobility to housing and income to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

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

1. Work and mobility

What does the journey to work look like in Helena Valley Northeast?

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 73.8%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Compare commute patterns →

Question 2

How far does income reach against housing in Helena Valley Northeast?

The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 0.0%, 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.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Question 3

Which cities make useful reference points for Helena Valley Northeast?

Within Montana, the closest population matches are Lolo (4,378 residents, $73,700 income); Malmstrom AFB (4,191 residents, $64,079 income); Dillon (4,020 residents, $51,458 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Bayside, WI (4,398 residents); Greenfield, CA (4,399 residents); Ivanhoe, CA (4,397 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.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Population

4,398 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$137,724 /yr

Top-decile income · poverty 0.0% (Very low poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

94.6 (US=100)

Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Montana average

City profile score · Helena Valley Northeast, MT

85/100

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+
0.0%

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

Household income A+
$137,724

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

Bachelor's+ share A-
47.0%

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

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.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

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

Helena Valley Northeast profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Poverty rate, Household income, Bachelor's+ share, Cost of living. Poverty rateHousehold incomeBachelor's+ shareCost of living 85 A
Helena Valley Northeast profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Poverty rate: 100/100 (A+) · 0.0%
  • Household income: 92/100 (A+) · $137,724
  • Bachelor's+ share: 81/100 (A-) · 47.0%
  • Cost of living: 66/100 (B-) · 94.6 index

How does Helena Valley Northeast compare to other US cities?

Helena Valley Northeast measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.

Household income 92% higher than other cities
Home value 82% 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 Helena Valley Northeast 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 Helena Valley Northeast near the bottom of Montana's cities

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

Median Household Income
#5 of 282
98th percentile in Montana
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 317
0th percentile in Montana
Median Home Value
#38 of 279
86th percentile in Montana
Poverty Rate
#230 of 315
0th percentile in Montana
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#32 of 317
90th 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.

92ndIncome percentile
Gauge source note

92nd percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Helena Valley Northeast's home value compares nationally

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

$462,400 18th percentile more affordable than 18% 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%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). This entry sits in this band. $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. Helena Valley Northeast $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

Helena Valley Northeast's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.4×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#8,374 of 15,516
More affordable than 46% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#6,824 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 3.4×, Helena Valley Northeast sits in the moderate band: national rank #8,374 of 15,516 and #6,824 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

$137,724 Helena Valley Northeast, MT median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Helena Valley Northeast, MT Helena Valley Northeast, MT's median household income ($137,724) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Helena Valley Northeast, MT-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Helena Valley Northeast, MT median $137,724/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%
Helena Valley Northeast, 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 Helena Valley Northeast, MT.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 47.0%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 0.0%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 62.6%

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

Population
4,398
Median Income
$137,724
Median Home Value
$462,400
Median Age
47.8
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Labor force participation
62.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
47.0%

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
73.8%
Carpool
10.5%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.5%
Work from Home
14.5%
Other
0.7%

Based on 2,313 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 Helena Valley Northeast. 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 Helena Valley Northeast 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 Helena Valley Northeast sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Helena Valley Northeast 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
Helena Valley Northeast (this city) 4,398 $137,724
Lolo 4,378 $73,700
Malmstrom AFB 4,191 $64,079
Dillon 4,020 $51,458
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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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