Housing data for Helena West Side, MT
Helena West Side, MT has an estimated 1,417 residents and 592 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Lewis and Clark County.
25.4% of households rent.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,417 (±415)
- Housing units
- 592 (±144)
- Households that rent
- 25.4%
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +36.4%
What stands out in Helena West Side
Working from home: 4.9% (±5.3 points) in Helena West Side, lower than in Lewis and Clark County (14.5%).
Average commute: 24.5 minutes (±5.6) in Helena West Side, higher than in Lewis and Clark County (18.3 minutes).
Housing in Helena West Side at a glance
- Rent burden: 46.4% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 25.4% of households rent (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Income and affordability: $66,921 median household income
- Home values: $402,300 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,892 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $2,943 median real estate taxes a year (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Types of homes: 4.6% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 63.7% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 55.3% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 70.2% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 24.5 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +36.4% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 28.1% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 0.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Fair Market Rent: $1,910 Small Area FMR, 2 bedrooms (ZIP 59636)
Helena West Side against Lewis and Clark County, its state and the nation
| Helena West Side | Lewis and Clark County | Montana | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,417 (±415) | 73,464 (exact) | 1,116,875 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 592 (±144) | 34,082 (±56) | 528,419 (±3,257) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 25.4% (±14.2 points) | 29.9% (±1.8 points) | 30.8% (±0.5 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | — | $1,102 (±$46) | $1,081 (±$14) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $66,921 (±$14,117) | $78,237 (±$3,203) | $72,509 (±$761) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $402,300 (±$72,717) | $393,500 (±$9,364) | $375,800 (±$3,433) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $2,943 (±$1,530) | $3,113 (±$108) | $2,693 (±$19) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 55.3% (±22.3 points) | 47.4% (±2.6 points) | 49.0% (±0.7 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 24.5 minutes (±5.6) | 18.3 minutes (±1.0) | 19.1 minutes (±0.2) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 96.1% (±4.9 points) | 90.3% (±1.5 points) | 89.4% (±0.3 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 34.5 years (±7.8) | 41.8 years (±0.5) | 40.4 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Helena West Side covers 15.1 square miles of land, about 94 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Helena West Side has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,039 (±272) | 1,417 (±415) | +36.4% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 546 (±137) | 592 (±144) | +8.4% | Not a measurable change |
| Median home value | $208,700 (±$65,818) | $402,300 (±$72,717) | +92.8% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $58,333 (±$9,210) | $66,921 (±$14,117) | +14.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,389 (±$128) | $1,892 (±$117) | +36.2% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,663 (±$978) | $2,943 (±$1,530) | +77.0% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 21.6% (±15.6 points) | 25.4% (±14.2 points) | +3.8 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% (±21.2 points) | 0.0% (±18.8 points) | 0.0 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Lewis and Clark County
Helena West Side has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Lewis and Clark County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Lewis and Clark County recorded 389 violent and 1,708 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
ZIP codes in Helena West Side
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59636 | 100% | 32 | — | — | — |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Helena West Side
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helena | 4.5 mi | $1,092 | $387,300 | 47.4% |
| Helena Valley West Central | 5.2 mi | $1,327 | $367,200 | 14.8% |
| East Helena | 9.3 mi | $1,090 | $290,700 | 33.5% |
| Helena Valley Northwest | 9.6 mi | $1,603 | $404,200 | 5.1% |
| Montana City | 10 mi | $2,077 | $571,200 | 2.1% |
| Helena Valley Southeast | 10 mi | $1,106 | $331,500 | 15.0% |
| Helena Valley Northeast | 11 mi | — | $576,700 | 2.0% |
| Clancy | 11 mi | $978 | $469,300 | 13.5% |
HUD Fair Market Rent for Helena West Side, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,151 | $1,320 | $1,653 | $2,289 | $2,392 |
HUD also publishes a Small Area Fair Market Rent for each ZIP code in the area; the Fair Market Rent page for this place lists its ZIP codes.
HUD income limits for Helena West Side, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $24,750 | $41,150 | $65,900 |
| 2 people | $28,250 | $47,050 | $75,350 |
| 3 people | $31,800 | $52,950 | $84,750 |
| 4 people | $35,300 | $58,850 | $94,150 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $63,550 | $101,650 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $68,300 | $109,200 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $72,950 | $116,750 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $77,700 | $124,300 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Lewis and Clark County, MT HUD Metro FMR Area, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $122,400.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Helena West Side is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Helena West Side
What is the median household income in Helena West Side?
The median household income in Helena West Side is $66,921 (±$14,117) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Helena West Side, MT?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $402,300 (±$72,717) for owner-occupied homes in Helena West Side (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Helena West Side?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Helena West Side, MT is $1,892 (±$117) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How many homes are in Helena West Side?
Helena West Side, MT has an estimated 592 (±144) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the most common home size in Helena West Side?
The most common size is 3 bedrooms, 33.1% of homes in Helena West Side, MT.
How old are most homes in Helena West Side?
55.3% of homes in Helena West Side, MT were built before 1980 (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Helena West Side growing?
In Helena West Side, the number of residents went from 1,039 in 2015–2019 to 1,417 in 2020–2024 (+36.4%), not a measurable change.
What ZIP codes are in Helena West Side?
The ZIP code that covers Helena West Side is 59636.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Helena West Side CDP, Montana
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Helena West Side CDP, Montana
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Helena West Side CDP, Montana
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Helena West Side CDP, Montana
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Helena West Side CDP, Montana
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Helena West Side CDP, Montana
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Helena West Side CDP, Montana
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Lewis and Clark County, MT HUD Metro FMR Area
- HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Lewis and Clark County, MT HUD Metro FMR Area
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Helena West Side CDP, Montana (place:35640, in state:30).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .