Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town of 750 people was settled in 1890.
43% of working residents work locally in Harlem, above both the Montana town median (39%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Only one of the 31 Montana towns we compare has a lower midpoint home value than Harlem. Harlem has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Harlem beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 383 in 1910, a peak of 1,267 in 1960, 769 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1987 and 2 maps from 1905 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Harlem, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Harlem.
In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 12%. Harlem’s rent at the middle of the market is $824 a month. Among households locally, 62% live in a home they own.
| Harlem | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $824 a month | $1,000 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 62% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The public schools here belong to the Harlem Elementary District. Two of its 3 schools are shown below, with the reason for each.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlem Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 350 | C− |
| Harlem High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 175 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts
Employers in Harlem added 132 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 373. The town’s typical journey to work comes in at 15 minutes. The top destinations are Chinook (6%), Missoula (5%) and Billings (5%). Half of commuters travel less than 21 miles.
| Harlem | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $83,000 | $67,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
July afternoons reach 86° and January nights drop to 6°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among adults in Harlem, 20% report frequent mental distress and 18% smoke cigarettes. CDC measures, 32 in all: Harlem beats Montana on 1 and trails on 15. 35% of Harlem adults feel lonely.
| Harlem | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 72% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Harlem | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.6% | 9.3% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 20.1% | 11.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
In Harlem, the age of the median resident is 35.8 years. Children under 18 are 26% of residents (21% statewide). A bachelor’s degree or higher: just over a third of adults 25 and older, vs 35% across Montana. The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts Harlem at 750 residents, down 3.1% since 2020.
| Harlem | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35.8 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 30% | 29% |
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.2 points. Across Montana, 49.3% of residents are women.
| Harlem | MT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 20.2% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.6% | 10% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.7% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.1% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.4% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 4.9% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.5% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.8% | 12.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.9% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.7% | 5.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 16.1% | 27.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 43.9% | 22.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 2% | 9.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.9% | 23.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.5% | 12% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 800, single groups can be off by several points
Harlem’s FEMA hazard score stands at 58 of 100. Since 1978, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out here. Expected losses in Harlem break down as 47% from inland flooding and 45% from cold waves. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Harlem once, in 2011.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Trails total 0.1 miles in 1 park or preserve. Only 4 of the 43 Montana towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Harlem. For Harlem, the concentration of trails is 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Harlem | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.3% | 9.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Harlem Elementary School Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Harlem
About 5 of every 100 Harlem residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Montana.
Where Harlem’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Montana, United States
Harlem is a city in Blaine County, Montana, United States. The population was 769 at the 2020 census. The Fort Belknap Indian Reservation is just south of the town, across the Milk River. Like other towns along the Hi-Line, Great Northern Railway officials chose the name of a European city for this new town. In this case it was Haarlem, in the Netherlands. A. A. Cecil platted the townsite in 1889.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Harlem has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.