Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 9,264, settled in 1890.
Havre grades D overall, 38th among Montana's 41 graded towns, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its crime rate is higher than 96% of U.S. towns, with 70 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. The median household income is $50K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, it has 5 miles of trail. 55% of working residents work locally in Havre, above both Montana’s towns (37%) and U.S. towns (8%). Havre is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 87% of U.S. towns. Havre's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Where Havre beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Montana), ordered by how far Havre is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,033 in 1900, 9,362 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1879 and 3 maps from 1904 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Havre, 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 Havre.
Havre has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
Reported crimes fell from 531 to 338 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Havre is 7.6 per 1,000 residents. Havre reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 96% report less. The property crime rate in Havre is 29.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Havre | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.6 per 1,000 residents | 4.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 29.2 per 1,000 residents | 14.1 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Havre Elementary District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Havre High School, with 521 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Havre Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 391 | B− |
| Havre High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 521 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MT on state tests and graduation
5.1 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. Havre’s trail density is 1.4 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. US Bank Park | 0.8 mi | 18 |
| 2. Patterson Park | 0.4 mi | 7 |
| 3. American Legion Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Havre home is worth about $230,000, up 4.7% in a year, 51% below the Montana typical home.
| Havre | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $844 a month | $1,004 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 64% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Havre.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Adults 35 to 64 are 28% of residents (37% statewide); children under 18 are 28% of residents (21% statewide). 27% of residents are under 18 in Havre. Among 42 Montana towns, just 3 have a lower median age than Havre.
| Havre | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 32.1 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 27% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 31% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.1 points. Across Montana, 49.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 32.9, men 31.1.
| Havre | MT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.9% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.6% | 10% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.2% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.5% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.3% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.9% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.6% | 12.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.1% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.2% | 5.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.2% | 27.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.2% | 22.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.2% | 9.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.7% | 23.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.6% | 12% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The Havre City Co Ap weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 129 days, shorter than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Havre has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 6° and about 41 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 3,951 working residents takes 10.5 minutes, against 19.1 across Montana.
Since 2013, Havre has lost 553 jobs, to 3,639 in 2023. Among 42 Montana towns, just 3 have a lower average trip to work than Havre. The top destinations are Great Falls (5%), West Havre (5%) and Helena (3%).
| Havre | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 11 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $68,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 5,908 U.S. towns with household incomes like Havre’s, it is healthier than 77%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Havre beats the Montana average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 22% of Havre adults binge drink. Only 4 of the 41 Montana towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Havre.
| Havre | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 20% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 72% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 23% |
| What stands out | Havre | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 8.3% | 9.3% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 9.2% | 6.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Havre
About 7 of every 100 Havre residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
7 places in Havre on the National Register of Historic Places.
24 notable people were born in Havre.
City in Montana, United States
Havre ( HAV-ər) is the county seat of and the largest city in Hill County, Montana, United States. Havre is nicknamed the crown jewel of the Hi-Line. It is said to be named after the city of Le Havre in France. As of the 2020 census the population was 9,362.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Havre.
| Town | MT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Havre | #38 | D | C | D− | C | C+ |
| Havre North | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Saddle Butte | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| West Havre | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Havre North, Saddle Butte and West Havre aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Havre with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Havre grades D overall, better than 7% of U.S. towns and #38 of 41 in Montana. It grades C+ for health, D− for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($52,798 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
24 notable people were born here, including Jon Tester and Jeff Ament.
