What is the population of Helena city?

Helena city has 33,126 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #6 of 497 in Montana.

What is the median household income in Helena city?

Median household income in Helena city is $69,341 a year, 11.7% below the national figure of $78,538.

How much does it cost to rent or buy in Helena city?

Median gross rent is $1,058 a month and the median home value is $355,100, so rent absorbs about 18.3% of median household income.

Is Helena city affordable compared with the rest of the US?

Homes cost about 5.1× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Helena city is less affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 18.3% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.

Aerial view of a dense city center, illustrating the US cities ZIP code directory

Montana · Census place 35600

Helena, MT population, income and ZIP codes

Quick answer

The population of the city of Helena, Montana (Helena, MT — Census place “Helena city”) is 33,126 residents, ranking #6 of 497 places in Montana. Median household income is $69,341, the median home is worth $355,100 and median gross rent runs $1,058 a month. Looking for the Helena Montana ZIP code list? 3 ZIP codes serve Helena, MT: 59601, 59623, 59625.

Population: 33,126Helena city residents
Median household income: $69,341Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
Median home value: $355,100Owner-occupied units
Median gross rent: $1,058Rent plus utilities, monthly
Median age: 40.4 yrsAll residents
Homeownership rate: 53.8%Owner-occupied households

Helena ZIP codes (Montana)

Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Helena.

The Helena MT ZIP code list below covers 3 ZIP codes. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.

What the numbers mean in Helena city

Housing cost measured against local earnings.

A household earning the Helena city median would spend about 18.3% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 5.1× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 9.1% of residents and 53.8% of households own their home.

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year

Helena city, MT in context

How this area compares with national benchmarks.

Helena city is a small city in Montana, with 33,126 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #6 of 497 ranked by population — larger than 98% of them. The median age here is 40.4 years against 39.1 nationally, a slightly older profile than the country as a whole. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.

Households in Helena city earn a median of $69,341 a year, 11.7% below the national figure of $78,538 and 10% above the $62,992 median for the 94 Montana cities we cover. This figure covers the household, not the worker: two people on ordinary wages at one address outrank a single professional in the same table. Poverty reaches 9.1% of residents here, below the 12.4% national rate.

The typical owner-occupied home in Helena city is valued at $355,100, 17% above the national figure and 42% above the $250,900 peer median, while median gross rent runs $1,058 a month, 24.8% below the national figure, or roughly $12,696 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 18.3% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is cheap relative to what people here earn. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 5.1×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is harder here than in the average US market. 53.8% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans more heavily on renters. Rent is reported gross — contract rent plus tenant-paid utilities — which is why it runs above the advertised price on a listing for the same unit.

All values below were released by the Census for this exact geography, with no gap-filling on our side. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.

Compare with nearby places

Places of similar size in Montana.

More Montana coverage.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about this area.

What is the population of Helena city?: Helena city has 33,126 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #6 of 497 in Montana.
What is the median household income in Helena city?: Median household income in Helena city is $69,341 a year, 11.7% below the national figure of $78,538.
How much does it cost to rent or buy in Helena city?: Median gross rent is $1,058 a month and the median home value is $355,100, so rent absorbs about 18.3% of median household income.
Is Helena city affordable compared with the rest of the US?: Homes cost about 5.1× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Helena city is less affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 18.3% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
How current is this Helena city data?: All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.