Boise, ID vs Helena, MT

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Boise

73.2

#766 nationally

Helena

69.1

#1251 nationally

Helena leads in average commute (13.4 min vs 19.1 min). Helena leads in walk score (49 vs 38). Boise leads in median household income ($82,500 vs $64,798).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Boise, ID	Helena, MT
WhereAtHome Score	73.2 (#766)	69.1 (#1251)
Population	237,963	34,464
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$507,649	$484,550
Median Household Income	$82,500	$64,798
Average Commute	19.1 min	13.4 min
Walk Score	38	49
Crime Level	Low	14.1
School Rating	7.8	N/A
Cost of Living Index	104	110
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+10.3	R+5.7