Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
1,417 people live in this town in Montana.
Helena West Side’s best subject grades are an A for health and an A+ for the outdoors; its weakest is a C− for cost of living. On health, just 4 of Montana’s 94 towns do better. Helena West Side's schools outperform 68% of the state's. Only 3 of the 43 Montana towns we compare have a lower share of residents 65 or older than Helena West Side. 31% of the land in Helena West Side is conserved, against 9.2% in Montana’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 2 of Montana’s 95 towns do better. Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, at 1,957 acres with 5.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Helena West Side has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Helena West Side beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Helena West Side | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.9% | 12.3% |
1,637 counted in 2010 and 1,331 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Montana), ordered by how far Helena West Side is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 3 maps from 1950 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Helena West Side is unincorporated, so Lewis and Clark County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Helena West Side.
For half of commuters, work is under 4 miles away. Helena West Side had 2,246 jobs in 2023, up 1,514 from 2013. Just 8% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. 5.9% of Helena West Side residents live below the poverty line.
| Helena West Side | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 7.6% | 39% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $67,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Among adults in Helena West Side, 7.6% worry about having enough food. Only 2 of the 42 Montana towns we compare have a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Helena West Side. In Helena West Side, 15% of adults get no exercise outside work, and 21% binge drink.
| Helena West Side | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 21% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Helena West Side | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.9% | 12.3% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.6% | 11.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Trails run 46 miles in 5 parks and preserves. Helena West Side’s trail density stands at 3.0 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest | 5.8 mi | 1,957 |
| 2. Spring Meadow Lake State Park | 1.2 mi | 54 |
| 3. Mount Helena City Park | 0.9 mi | 19 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The natural-hazard score from FEMA for Helena West Side comes to 23 of 100. FEMA puts 36% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to avalanches, and 30% to cold waves. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 77% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
45% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Montana. People 65 and older are one in ten residents (20% statewide); children under 18 are 27% of residents (21% statewide). Helena West Side’s midpoint age is 34.5 years.
| Helena West Side | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 45% | 30% | 29% |
| Median age | 34.5 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
Somewhere between 43% and 70% women
The Census survey reached too few of Helena West Side’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±13.4 points. Across Montana, 49.3% of residents are women.
| Helena West Side | MT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 20% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.7% | 10% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.4% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.8% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.7% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 19.5% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.8% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5.2% | 12.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.9% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11% | 5.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 10.5% | 27.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.1% | 22.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.5% | 9.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.8% | 23.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16% | 12% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,400, single groups can be off by several points
Expect July afternoons of 84° and January nights of 14°, with about 37 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In Helena West Side, 75% of households are owner-occupiers.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of Helena West Side
About 5 of every 100 Helena West Side residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Montana.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
5 places in Helena West Side on the National Register of Historic Places.
Census-designated place in Montana, United States
Helena West Side is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lewis and Clark County, Montana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Helena West Side had a population of 1,331. Annexation of part of the CDP by the city of Helena reduced the CDP's population in earlier counts. It is part of the Helena Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
1,417 people live in this town in Montana.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $402,000, 14% 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 C−.
