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Montana›Missoula County

Bonner-West RiversideMT

1,563 people call this town in Montana home.

Is Bonner-West Riverside a good place to live?

Bonner-West Riverside’s best subject grades are an A for health and the outdoors; its weakest is a C− for hazard risk. 4.1% of working residents work locally in Bonner-West Riverside, below both Montana’s towns (39%) and U.S. towns (8%). On health, just 9 of Montana’s 94 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Milltown State Park, at 40 acres. Bonner-West Riverside has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

What makes Bonner-West Riverside stand out

Where Bonner-West Riverside beats most towns.

How Bonner-West Riverside grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Montana), ordered by how far Bonner-West Riverside is from typical.

How grading works

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Getting set up

Moving to Bonner-West Riverside: who provides what

Bonner-West Riverside is unincorporated, so Missoula County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerMissoula Electric Coop10.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMissoula WaterNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMissoula CountyMissoula County provides services here
SchoolsBonner Elementary School DistrictMissoula High School District2 districts serve Bonner-West Riverside; 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.gov
Who runs elections hereMissoula County Election AdministratorMissoula County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2024
ZIP codes59802, 59851, 5982359802 84% · 59851 11% · 59823 4%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 Bonner-West Riverside.

HealthA

Fewer of Bonner-West Riverside’s adults sleep under 7 hours than in the typical Montana or U.S. town

In Bonner-West Riverside, 8.1% of adults have diabetes. Only 3 of the 42 Montana towns we compare have a lower share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Bonner-West Riverside. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Bonner-West Riverside is ahead of Montana on 17 and behind on 1.

87%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
Bonner-West RiversideMontana townsU.S. towns
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)24%20%16%
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)27%32%36%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)26%32%35%
Obesity (CDC PLACES)26%32%35%
32 measures vs. Montana
17 better14 too close to call1 worse
What stands outBonner-West RiversideMT
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth7.8%12.3%
Fewer adults with heart disease5%6.6%
More binge drinkers23.7%20.3%
St. Patrick Hospital
5.3 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

SchoolsB−

On state tests, Bonner-West Riverside’s schools trail 54% of Montana districts

One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. The public schools here belong to the Bonner Elementary District.

46%of MT districts it outscoresB−School Grade
SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Bonner SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5Grades PK–5227C−

NCES · EDFacts · graded within MT on state tests and graduation

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−

The biggest natural risk in Bonner-West Riverside is avalanches, at a high overall level

Among 42 Montana towns, just 3 have a higher natural-hazard score from FEMA than Bonner-West Riverside. Expected losses in Bonner-West Riverside break down as 64% from avalanches and 12% from wildfires.

76risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
76High riskLowerHigher
AvalanchesWildfireInland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Bonner-West Riverside: snowy winters and pleasant summers

The town’s peak summer temperature is 82°F.

50″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter18–33°
Spring31–55°
Summer46–78°
Fall32–55°
Oct 1
typical first frost
May 10
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C

More than half of Bonner-West Riverside’s working residents commute to Missoula

The top destinations are Missoula (61%), Billings (2%) and Butte-Silver Bow (2%). Most people who work leave Bonner-West Riverside to do it: just 4% work in town. Employers in Bonner-West Riverside added 337 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 740. The typical journey to work for Bonner-West Riverside comes to 21 minutes.

4%work in town
Bonner-West RiversideMontana townsU.S. towns
Below the poverty line15%10%9.6%
Average trip to work21 minutes17 minutes25 minutes
Median household income$62,000$67,000$80,000

Where working residents work

In Bonner-West Riverside4%
Missoula61%
Billings2%
Butte-Silver Bow2%
Helena2%
7 mi
median commute distance
740
jobs based in Bonner-West Riverside
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 67% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

OutdoorsA

Bonner-West Riverside keeps 6.6% of its land conserved

There are 2.4 miles of trail across 2 parks and preserves. For Bonner-West Riverside, the trail density is 1.5 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves in the town: 2, covering 43 acres.

6.6%conserved
Bonner-West RiversideMontana townsU.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile1.5 miles per square mile0.60.4
Conserved land6.6%9.2%4.3%
6.6%
conserved · 68 of 1,026 acres
2.4 mi
of trails · 1.5 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Milltown State Park0.6 mi40
2. Hellgate Lions Park—3

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

HousingCost of living grade B

A home in Bonner-West Riverside sells for about $410K at the median

Among households in Bonner-West Riverside, 74% own their home. For Bonner-West Riverside, the median rent is $1,105 a month.

$410Kmedian sale price
Bonner-West RiversideMontana townsU.S. towns
Households that own their home74%64%73%
Median rent$1,105 a month$1,000 a month$1,185 a month
2
homes sold in September

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Nearby attractions

Lake Missoula and 5 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bonner-West Riverside. Close and well known come first.

All 7 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Lake Missoula: USGS, Public domain · CSKT Bison Range: Paul Frederickson, CC BY 2.5 · Wilma Theater: Publichall, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Montana Museum of Art & Culture: DocFreeman24, CC BY-SA 4.0

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Bonner-West Riverside

16pages on Bonner-West Riverside
After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Bonner-West Riverside

About 3 of every 100 Bonner-West Riverside residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

About Bonner-West Riverside

Census-designated place in Montana, United States

Bonner-West Riverside (Salish: Nʔaycčstm, "Place of the Big Bull Trout") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Missoula County, Montana, United States, including the unincorporated communities of Bonner, Milltown (formerly Riverside), West Riverside, and Pinegrove. It is part of the Missoula metropolitan area. The population was 1,690 at the 2020 census. Bonner was named for Edward L. Bonner, president of the Missoula and Bitter Root Valley Railroad. Bonner was also a partner in Eddy, Hammond & Company, who were contracted by the Northern Pacific Railroad for lumber to build their railway between the Thompson and Blackfoot rivers. Eddy, Hammond & Company founded the Montana Improvement Comp…

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
1.6 sq mi

Bonner-West Riverside’s neighbors

One town shares a border with Bonner-West Riverside.

Explore the map →
PiltzvillePiltzvilleBonner-West Riverside
How the neighbors grade
TownMT rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
Bonner-West Riverside——B—B−A
Piltzville——————

Bonner-West Riverside has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Bonner-West Riverside reports no FBI crime data of its own. Piltzville isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Bonner-West Riverside with a neighbor →

Questions about Bonner-West Riverside

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Bonner-West Riverside, MT expensive?

The typical home is worth about $211,000, 55% below the Montana typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.