Cold semi-arid
Helena, Montana
Lewis and Clark County, Montana · Population 33k · 4,055 ft elevation
Living in Helena
Helena has a cold semi-arid climate: hot summers (July highs around 85°F) and cold winters (January lows around 13°F).
Precipitation is very dry at about 11″ a year, and it gets a fair bit of snow (37″ a season).
Skies are sunny (62% of possible sunshine). It never gets truly muggy.
Air quality is moderate: a median AQI of 44 and virtually no unhealthy-air days.
Helena is an outdoor hub: about 55% of the land within 30 miles is public (parks, national forest and the like), and the terrain rises and falls about 3,500 ft around town.
Helena at a glance
- Population
- 33k
- Elevation
- 4,055 ft
- Average daily high
- 57°F7th percentile
- Average daily low
- 33°F3th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 11″4th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 37″77th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 2,795 hrs48th percentile
- Median AQI
- 4462th percentile
- Median home value
- $355k66th percentile
- Median rent
- $1,058/mo39th percentile
- Median household income
- $69k43th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 0.95%48th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 5.7%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 0.0%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.1%
- Homes with broadband
- 87%27th percentile
- Walkability index
- 10.771th percentile
- Average commute
- 14 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 46%51th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 53%
- Violent crime rate
- 582 per 100k91th percentile
- Property crime rate
- 2,909 per 100k
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 7124th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 9695th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 23%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 55%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 3,510 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32°F | 13°F | 0.4″ | 6.6″ | 170 hrs |
| Feb | 37°F | 17°F | 0.4″ | 6.6″ | 188 hrs |
| Mar | 47°F | 24°F | 0.5″ | 4.6″ | 221 hrs |
| Apr | 56°F | 32°F | 1.0″ | 2.9″ | 217 hrs |
| May | 66°F | 41°F | 1.9″ | 0.1″ | 256 hrs |
| Jun | 74°F | 48°F | 2.2″ | — | 300 hrs |
| Jul | 85°F | 54°F | 1.1″ | — | 378 hrs |
| Aug | 84°F | 52°F | 1.0″ | 0.3″ | 337 hrs |
| Sep | 73°F | 44°F | 1.0″ | 0.2″ | 258 hrs |
| Oct | 57°F | 33°F | 0.8″ | 2.8″ | 195 hrs |
| Nov | 42°F | 22°F | 0.6″ | 5.4″ | 145 hrs |
| Dec | 32°F | 14°F | 0.5″ | 7.7″ | 130 hrs |
Near Helena
- Helena Valley West Central, MT · 8.2k
- Helena Valley Southeast, MT · 9.5k
- Montana City, MT · 2.9k
- Helena Valley Northeast, MT · 4.4k
- Helena Valley Northwest, MT · 5.1k
- Deer Lodge, MT · 3k
- Butte-Silver Bow, MT · 35k
- Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, MT · 9.5k
Largest places in Montana
- Billings, MT · 118k
- Missoula, MT · 76k
- Great Falls, MT · 60k
- Bozeman, MT · 55k
- Kalispell, MT · 27k
- Belgrade, MT · 11k
- Havre, MT · 9.3k
- Evergreen, MT · 8.9k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology