PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Helena, MT

34.0
Life Score / 100
D
Grade (curved)
#375
of 387 metros
3%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Helena ranks #375 of 387 US metros, ahead of 3% - carried by its wages (58/100) and held back most by schools (9/100).

58
strongest: Wages
39
then: Cost of Living
9
weakest: Schools
7
weighted dimensions

Where Helena sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

34 3th percentile higher than 3% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). This entry sits in this band. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Above this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Above this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. 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 PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Helena Life Score

Helena's composite score of 34.0 out of 100, a grade of D, places the metro at rank #375 of 387, ahead of 3% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Wages (58/100) and Cost of Living (39/100), which pull the composite upward, while Schools (9/100) and Rent (18/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 95.7 (rent-RPP 90.1). BLS median salary $66,812, 38,620 jobs (Business Operations Specialists, All Other, Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,748/mo (studio $1,240).

FBI UCR (MT): 426 violent, 1646 property/100K. NCES: 11.8:1 ratio, 0.0% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,466/yr. EPA: 19 Superfund sites (MT). Ranks #372-#378 below.

Dimension detail

How Helena scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 39/100 (20%)
Wages 58/100 (20%)
Rent 18/100 (15%)
Safety 24/100 (15%)
Schools 9/100 (10%)
Childcare 35/100 (10%)
Environment 39/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

95.7
Cost Index (RPP)
$66,812
Avg Median Salary
$1,748
2BR Fair Market Rent
426
Violent Crime/100K (MT)
11.8:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$11,466
Infant Childcare/yr (MT)
19
Superfund Sites (MT)
38,620
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Helena With...

Helena vs Billings Compare → Helena vs Missoula Compare → Helena vs Great Falls Compare → Helena vs Wildwood Compare → Helena vs Waterloo Compare → Helena vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Helena outranks 3% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#372 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 34.1 D
#373 Anchorage, AK 34.3 D
#374 Flagstaff, AZ 34.5 D
#375 Helena, MT 34.0 D
#376 Ithaca, NY 33.9 F
#377 Barnstable Town, MA 33.2 F
#378 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA 33.0 F

MT Metro Scores

Billings, MT D 35.6 Missoula, MT D 35.2 Great Falls, MT F 30.6 Bozeman, MT F 26.0

Using Helena's Life Score

Helena is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is wages (58/100) and its weakest is schools (9/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Helena head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Helena lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Helena's biggest strengths? ▼
Helena's strongest dimensions are Wages (58/100), Cost of Living (39/100), Environment (39/100).
What are Helena's weakest areas? ▼
Helena's lowest-scoring dimensions are Schools (9/100), Rent (18/100), Safety (24/100). Schools weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Helena compared to the national average? ▼
Helena's Regional Price Parity is 95.7 (4.3% less than national); rent RPP 90.1.
What is the average salary in Helena? ▼
Helena median salary: $66,812, 38,620 jobs. Top: Business Operations Specialists, All Other, Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Helena's 34.0/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

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

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.