East Helena, Lewis and Clark County, Montana Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for East Helena, Montana, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in East Helena, Montana. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in East Helena, Montana. The estimated population of East Helena, Montana is 1,647 people, with a median age of 42.8.

We can look at the total population in East Helena over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
1,647
-2.2% -27.28%
2020
1,684
+11.23%
-
2019
1,514
-16.26% -
2018
1,808
-20.18% -
2017
2,265
- -

Population of East Helena, Montana by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
87.9%
87%
+1.03%
Black/African American
0%
0.6%
-100.00%
Native
1.1%
4%
-72.50%
Hispanic
8.6%
2.5%
+244.00%
Asian
0.8%
0%
0.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
0.00%
Two Or More Races
1.7%
5.9%
-71.19%
Other
0%
0%
0.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of East Helena, Montana by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 42.8 +3.63% 41.6 +11.23% 43.4 -4.82%
2020 41.3 -10.99% 37.4 -15.77% 45.6 -7.13%
2019 46.4 +5.45% 44.4 +3.74% 49.1 +10.09%
2018 44 +9.18% 42.8 +16.3% 44.6 +9.05%
2017 40.3 - 36.8 - 40.9 -

The median age of East Helena, Montana gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 115 -16.93% 172 104.9% 83 136
10 to 19 120 -38.57% 130 -82.94% 51 50
20 to 29 125 -108.69% 89 +184.92% 31 152
30 to 39 199 +27.11% 161 -104.75% 216 39
40 to 49 109 +5.79% 226 -18.67% 110 169
50 to 59 136 -21.84% 119 -5.14% 104 109
60 to 69 110 +27.18% 167 -71.84% 120 69
70+ 163 -37.28% 124 -9.16% 108 100

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of East Helena, Montana is $55,051.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for East Helena.

  • Under 25
    $0.00
  • 25 to 44
    $79,519.00
  • 45 to 64
    $56,563.00
  • 65 and over
    $45,500.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in East Helena, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in East Helena, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of East Helena, Montana is currently $62,366.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

0.00% of households in East Helena are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of East Helena against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    19.89%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    23.30%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    22.42%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    17.25%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    14.73%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    2.42%
  • $200,000 or more
    0.00%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in East Helena is $33,705.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of East Helena by the total population of East Helena.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in East Helena, Montana, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in East Helena to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    0.85%
  • Bachelor's degree
    41.10%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    25.56%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    23.87%
  • Less than high school diploma
    8.62%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in East Helena that are over the age of 16.

The total population of East Helena over the age of 16 is 1,349.

Of those people, a total of 67.80% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in East Helena is 63.50%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 22 0.00% 0.00%
20 to 24 years 63 100.00% 0.00%
25 to 29 years 120 100.00% 20.00%
30 to 34 years 171 100.00% 0.00%
35 to 44 years 218 85.80% 0.00%
45 to 54 years 203 82.80% 0.00%
55 to 59 years 155 88.40% 14.80%
60 to 64 years 90 27.80% 0.00%
65 to 74 years 264 14.40% 0.00%
75 years and over 43 11.60% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in East Helena. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 1,255 66.20% 5.10%
Black or African American 0 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 18 50.00% 0.00%
Asian 46 100.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 0 0.00% 0.00%
Two or more races 30 93.30% 0.00%
Hispanic or Latino 112 98.20% 0.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 1,178 64.00% 5.70%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in East Helena as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in East Helena is 857, with median earnings of $48,802.00.

Women in East Helena, Montana earning approximately 71.80% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 857 $48,802.00
Male 486 $51,474.00
Female 371 $36,953.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 73 $33,542.00
Business and Financial 37 $0.00
Computer and Mathematical 15 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 6 $0.00
Community and Social Service 0 $0.00
Legal 19 $0.00
Educational and Library 74 $28,796.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 20 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 160 $67,796.00
Healthcare Support 29 $0.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 0 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 6 $0.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 73 $4,159.00
Personal Care and Service 13 $0.00
Sales 38 $14,559.00
Office and Administrative Support 68 $34,500.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 91 $56,654.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 17 $0.00
Production 25 $0.00
Transportation and Material Moving 56 $51,364.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 23 $54,028.00 50 $0.00
Business and Financial 0 $0.00 37 $0.00
Computer and Mathematical 6 $0.00 9 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 6 $0.00 0 $0.00
Community and Social Service 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Legal 0 $0.00 19 $0.00
Educational and Library 0 $0.00 74 $28,796.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 20 $0.00 0 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 76 $0.00 84 $58,849.00
Healthcare Support 0 $0.00 29 $0.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 0 $0.00 6 $0.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 73 $4,159.00 0 $0.00
Personal Care and Service 0 $0.00 13 $0.00
Sales 33 $0.00 5 $0.00
Office and Administrative Support 47 $48,036.00 21 $18,875.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 91 $56,654.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 17 $0.00 0 $0.00
Production 25 $0.00 0 $0.00
Transportation and Material Moving 56 $51,364.00 0 $0.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 910 households in East Helena, with an average household size of 1.81 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 446 families in East Helena with an average family size of 2.55 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 374 47 25 464
Average Household Size 2.49 2.4 3.68 1.1
Total Families 374 47 25 0
Average Household Size 2.49 2.4 3.68 0

Poverty

Of the 446 families in East Helena, 5.40% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in East Helena:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 942 housing units in East Helena, Montana.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 910 96.60%
Vacant 32 3.40%

26.11% of the total 942 housing units in East Helena are rental units. This is approximately 246 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 631 are occupied by the owner - or 66.99% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in East Helena is $921.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in East Helena that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    33
  • Less than $500
    0
  • $500 to $999
    233
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    13
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    0
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in East Helena is $201,700.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in East Helena that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    24
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    37
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    121
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    126
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    287
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    19
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    0
  • $1,000,000 or more
    17

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in East Helena. The chart below shows the number of properties in East Helena that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    243
  • 1940 to 1949
    83
  • 1950 to 1959
    118
  • 1960 to 1969
    118
  • 1970 to 1979
    185
  • 1980 to 1989
    31
  • 1990 to 1999
    18
  • 2000 to 2009
    146
  • 2010 to 2013
    0
  • 2014 or later
    0

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in East Helena that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    43
  • 1 vehicle available
    308
  • 2 vehicles available
    350
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    209

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in East Helena get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in East Helena that commute to work in a particular way.

28.3 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in East Helena.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    7
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    22
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    261
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    168
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    186
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    0
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    0
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    27
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    0
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    18
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    48
  • 90 or more minutes
    97

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for East Helena, Montana in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.