Butte-Silver Bow, Montana
Area Profile
35,052 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Butte-Silver Bow, in Silver Bow County.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 13 sourcesUnemployment is 3.4% and median household income $61,857, putting employment conditions in the middle range of cities measured. The unemployment rate is published for Silver Bow County, MT, which contains Butte-Silver Bow, rather than for Butte-Silver Bow alone.
111 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 7% of the prior year — steady rather than turning.
Rent takes 29% of renter income here, below the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, and the median home is 3.5 times what its owners earn.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment across Silver Bow County, MT, which contains Butte-Silver Bow, is 3.4%, lower than in 84% of the 4,226 measured US cities.
Employment across Silver Bow County, MT, which contains Butte-Silver Bow, grew 0.1% over the past year, to 17,439 employed residents.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsSilver Bow County, MT’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $55,019 | 16th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftSilver Bow County, MT’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $49,764 | 6th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$3,9492024 ACS 5-Year | $61,857 | Bottom 42%of 29,223 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$2,7312024 ACS 5-Year | $36,035 | Top 43%of 31,420 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 13.2% | Bottom 41%of 31,773 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±1.1 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 17.9 min | Top 11%of 31,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 28.1% | Top 34%of 31,919 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 76.6% | 48th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentSilver Bow County, MT’s figureJuly 2026 | 17,439 | Bottom 19%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)Silver Bow County, MT’s figureJuly 2026 | −2.0% | Bottom 24%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)Silver Bow County, MT’s figureJuly 2026 | +0.1% | Top 33%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceSilver Bow County, MT’s figureJuly 2026 | 18,054 | 18th percentileof 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 77.2% | Bottom 46%of 31,513 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public transit to work ±0.3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.7% | 82nd percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)Silver Bow County, MT’s figureJuly 2026 | −0.1% | Bottom 49%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateSilver Bow County, MT’s figureJuly 2026 | 3.4% | Top 16%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 7.6% | 50th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Median household income, successive ACS releases
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish a labor-market series for this place — true of a consolidated city-county, a city and county sharing one government, or a Puerto Rico municipio, regardless of population. This is the figure for Silver Bow County, MT, which contains this city.
40% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 54% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 15.9 students for every full-time teacher across 14 public schools, more than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butte High School | Butte H S | 1,266 | 16.4 | 31% | 49% |
| East Middle School | Butte Elem | 664 | 15.8 | 34% | 57% |
| West Elementary School | Butte Elem | 503 | 16.8 | 41% | 56% |
| Hillcrest School | Butte Elem | 412 | 19.6 | 59% | 64% |
| Emerson School | Butte Elem | 389 | 16.2 | 35% | 47% |
| Whittier School | Butte Elem | 383 | 16.0 | 56% | 67% |
| Margaret Leary School | Butte Elem | 359 | 16.3 | 53% | 59% |
| Kennedy School | Butte Elem | 219 | 13.7 | 32% | 47% |
| Whitehall Elementary | Whitehall Elem | 192 | 11.3 | 52% | 52% |
| Whitehall High School | Whitehall H S | 161 | 20.1 | 30% | 50% |
| Ramsay School | Ramsay Elem | 116 | 16.6 | 37% | 37% |
| Whitehall 6-8 | Whitehall Elem | 110 | 12.2 | 52% | 57% |
86.8% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Montana’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of Montana is up 53% over five years, and up 2.8% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,517 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.98% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,414, some 65% above the $856 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,414 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $56,600 a year, about 92% of the median household income here of $61,857.
The typical renter household here spends 29% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $856 a month.
A median home at $257,800 costs 3.5 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $74,132, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.
The figures above are measured against Butte-Silver Bow’s median household income of $61,857, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of Montana’s figure2026 Q2 | +2.8% | 45th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Montana’s figure2026 Q2 | +53.0% | 86th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Montana’s figure2026 Q2 | +127.4% | 94th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.32024 ACS 5-Year | 3.5 | Bottom 25%of 26,815 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 70.7% | 39th percentileof 31,717 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±1022024 ACS 5-Year | 17,158 | 97th percentileof 32,177 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $1,149 | Top 34%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,967 | Top 41%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,414 | Top 36%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$802024 ACS 5-Year | $856 | Top 36%of 23,120 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$14,9882024 ACS 5-Year | $257,800 | 66th percentileof 29,111 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$992024 ACS 5-Year | $2,517 | 66th percentileof 26,440 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$3,9092024 ACS 5-Year | $74,132 | Bottom 44%of 27,548 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.07%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.98% | 50th percentileof 20,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 29.0% | Bottom 46%of 22,950 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±1452024 ACS 5-Year | 391 | 96th percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 2.3% | 71st percentileof 31,895 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 9.6% | 62nd percentileof 31,769 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±2962024 ACS 5-Year | 2,031 | 98th percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has grown 3% since 2020, reaching 35,480 in 2024.
Federal tax returns show Silver Bow County, which contains Butte-Silver Bow, gained about 0.6% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $55,019, above the $49,764 of households that moved out.
At 3.2 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Deer Lodge County, MT 122 people · 8.2% of arrivals
- Gallatin County, MT 101 people · 6.8% of arrivals
- Missoula County, MT 69 people · 4.6% of arrivals
- Lewis and Clark County, MT 64 people · 4.3% of arrivals
- Jefferson County, MT 53 people · 3.5% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Deer Lodge County, MT 104 people · 7.8% of departures
- Missoula County, MT 99 people · 7.4% of departures
- Lewis and Clark County, MT 77 people · 5.8% of departures
- Yellowstone County, MT 74 people · 5.5% of departures
- Gallatin County, MT 69 people · 5.2% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Silver Bow County, MT. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
Housing units permitted per year
Weather & climate
3 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 81°F and January a low of 8°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 12.8 inches.
Air quality measures a median index of 31, in the Good band, and about 5 days a year pass 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| 90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year | 66 | 2024 calendar year |
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 12.8" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 8°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 81°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 3 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year | 5 | 2024 calendar year |
| Median air quality index2024 calendar year | 31 | 2024 calendar year |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 45°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Air quality
A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are cold wave, earthquake and inland flooding, with cold wave alone responsible for 32% of it. Cold wave and inland flooding are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.
Low or minimal exposure: landslide, winter weather, cold wave, lightning, hail, inland flooding, drought, ice storm, heat wave, strong wind, tornado, volcanic activity, coastal flooding, tsunami, hurricane.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.
Silver Bow County records 0.0 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, lower than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at about 21.8 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at about 19.5 per 100,000 residents in Silver Bow County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Butte-Silver Bow (Silver Bow County) rather than Butte-Silver Bow itself. They are shown and not scored. How to read death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Reported crime
- Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. Either no municipal department reports for this place — many smaller communities are policed by the county — or its department did not report every month of the year. Either way there is no figure to show. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
- Cost of living
- Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
4 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Bert Mooney at 9 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 86.6% | Bottom 36%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 9 mi | Top 22%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 4 | Bottom 38%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 9.4% | Bottom 40%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bert Mooney | BTM | 9 mi | 9,000 ft |
| Helena Rgnl | HLN | 59 mi | 9,000 ft |
| Bozeman Yellowstone Intl | BZN | 73 mi | 8,994 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Similar places
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Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Climate | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System Daily Air Quality Index by county | 2024 calendar year |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.
ZIP codes in Butte-Silver Bow
6 ZIP areasEvery ZIP area in Butte-Silver Bow with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Butte-Silver Bow closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.
| ZIP | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Area Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59701 | 34,232 | $60,437 | $248,200 | — |
| 59759 | 3,631 | $60,571 | $353,900 | 50 |
| 59750 | 500 | $95,192 | $550,000 | — |
| 59748 | 354 | $107,813 | $291,000 | — |
| 59727 | 293 | $64,583 | $357,900 | — |
| 59743 | 165 | $50,938 | $358,300 | — |