Basin Street in, 2007
Basin’s story
146 years in pictures
Census counts: 600 in 1900, 199 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1954 on.
- 1880Basin is settled
BasinMT
The town was settled in 1880 and has 352 residents today.
Photo: Finetooth · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
352
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$228K
Census ACS
Household income
$47K
median
Median age
48.8
years
Jobs based here
11
A commuter town
Is Basin a good place to live?
Basin’s average commute is 42 minutes, against 17 minutes in Montana’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Only one of the 43 Montana towns we compare has a lower peak summer temperature than Basin. 74% of the land in Basin is conserved, against 9.2% in Montana’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Basin has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
352 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Basin: who provides what
Basin is unincorporated, so Jefferson County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerNorthWestern Energy14.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBasin County Water and Sewer DistNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet1 providers0% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesJefferson CountyJefferson County provides services here
SchoolsBasin Elementary School DistrictJefferson High School District2 districts serve Basin; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteIn personMontana has no online registration; you can register in person up to and including Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereJefferson County Election AdministratorJefferson County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2021
ZIP code5963159631 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Basin.
Outdoors
Basin keeps nearly a third of its land conserved
2.4 miles of trail. In Basin, the trail network density is 0.2 miles per square mile.
73.9%conserved
73.9%
conserved · 5,967 of 8,079 acres
2.4 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Schools
The schools Basin’s kids attend
Public schools: the Basin Elementary District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basin SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 8 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
Most of Basin’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.2 jobs for each of them
The share of residents in Basin who live below the poverty line: 14%. The top destinations are Helena (32%), Montana City (15%) and Clancy (7%).
0%work in town
Where working residents work
In Basin0%
Helena32%
Montana City15%
Clancy7%
Boulder5%
25 mi
median commute distance
11
jobs based in Basin
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: high risk in Basin, mostly inland flooding
In Basin, the FEMA risk score is 77 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 47% come from inland flooding and 18% from wildfires. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Basin once, in 2011.
77risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingWildfireCold waves
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Expect four seasons and pleasant summers in Basin
July afternoons reach 77° and January nights drop to 14°.
77°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter13–32°
Spring27–49°
Summer43–73°
Fall28–51°
Sep 8
typical first frost
Jun 7
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
77°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Basin is
Among adults in Basin, 76% had a checkup this year. Against the Montana average, Basin comes out ahead on 8 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 7. Also worth knowing: of the 42 Montana towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who binge drink than Basin. In Basin, 29% of adults sleep under 7 hours, and 15% report frequent mental distress.
| Basin | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 31% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 32% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Montana
8 better17 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Basin | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 16.3% | 20.3% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.4% | 9.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.7% | 9.3% |
St. James Hospital
22.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
$294Kmedian sale price
1
homes sold in September
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Basin
17pages on Basin
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Basin; the nearest are
Montana Technological UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Butte22.8 mi$8,340 in-state tuitionHelena College University of MontanaCommunity college · Public · Helena25.1 mi$4,146 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Basin residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Montana.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Basin for work
Where Basin’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
11jobs based in Basin
0%of working residents work in town
25 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Basin
Census-designated place in Montana, United States
Basin is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, Montana, United States. It lies approximately 10 miles (16 km) southeast of the Continental Divide in a high narrow canyon along Interstate 15 about halfway between Butte and Helena. Basin Creek flows roughly north to south through Basin and enters the Boulder River on the settlement's south side. As of the 2020 census, Basin had a population of 199. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of human habitation from 10,000 years ago at a site near Clancy, 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Basin. From about 2000 BCE through the mid-19th century, nomadic tribes hunted bison in the grassy valleys that trend e…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 13 sq mi
- Elevation
- 5,335 ft
- ZIP code
- 59631
- Area code
- 406
Questions about Basin
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Basin, MT a good place to live?
Basin has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.