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Helena Valley Northwest, MT

Full City Profile · Montana · Jefferson County County

3.7 /5.0
B+ Good
5,070 Population 310/sq mi density
$101,278 Median Income $35,009 per capita
$358,600 Home Value $466,393 Zillow
$1,640 Median Rent 17.3% income on rent
40°F Avg Temperature 273 sunny days/yr
528 Violent Crime/100K 3,799 property/100K
B+
Overall
3.7 / 5.0
Good overall score based on economy, affordability, safety and education
A+
Economy
5.0 / 5.0
$101,278 median income, 1.5% unemployment
A+
Affordability
4.7 / 5.0
$358,600 home value, $1,640/mo rent
F
Safety
1.0 / 5.0
528 violent crimes/100K (39% above avg)
B+
Education
4.0 / 5.0
36.9% bachelor's degree or higher
Helena Valley Northwest has a cool climate with an average annual temperature of 40°F (4°C). Winters average 21°F in January while summers reach 64°F in July. The area gets 273 sunny days per year. Annual precipitation totals 16.5 inches. Air quality is rated Good with a median AQI of 26.

Temperature

21°F Jan (-6°C) 64°F Jul (18°C)
Annual Average40.3°F
25% below US avg
January Average21°F (-6°C)
July Average64°F (18°C)
Sunny Days273 days/yr

Geography

Elevation3,957 ft (1,206 m)
Area16.4 sq mi (42.4 km²)
Population Density310/sq mi
Coordinates46.7295°N, 112.0581°W
TimezoneAmerica/Denver
CountyJefferson County County
Nearest AirportHelena Regional (HLN)
9 miles away

Precipitation & Snow

Annual Rainfall 16.5"
57% below US avg
Wettest Month (May) 2.05"
Driest Month (Feb) 0.47"

Air Quality

AQI Median26.0
RatingGood

Natural Hazard Risk

Overall RiskVery Low
Risk Score21.6 / 100
Social Vulnerability24.0 / 100
Community Resilience34.4 / 100

Hazard Breakdown

Tornado Very Low
Earthquake Relatively Low
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Flood Very Low
Hail Very Low
Strong Wind Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Very Low
Drought Very Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Landslide Relatively Moderate
Avalanche Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (Dec 2025)

Earthquake History

438 earthquakes (M2.5+) within 150 km since 1990. Strongest: M5.8. Most recent: M2.9 on Aug 15, 2025.

Jul 6, 2017 11 km SE of Lincoln, Montana M5.8 43 km
Jul 6, 2017 15 km S of Lincoln, Montana M5.0 47 km
May 8, 2007 8 km NNW of Alder, Montana M4.4 149 km
Jul 6, 2017 14 km SE of Lincoln, Montana M4.4 40 km
Jan 30, 2016 19 km E of Lincoln, Montana M4.3 37 km
Oct 28, 1998 18 km S of Whitehall, Montana M4.3 114 km
Aug 16, 2019 4 km NW of Manhattan, Montana M4.2 108 km
Apr 8, 2000 8 km ENE of Townsend, Montana M4.1 66 km
Aug 6, 2019 3 km NW of Manhattan, Montana M4.1 109 km
Jun 18, 2006 6 km S of Pony, Montana M4.1 126 km
Sep 3, 2016 16 km S of Whitehall, Montana M4.0 112 km
Jun 28, 2000 21 km SE of Clinton, Montana M4.0 113 km
Nov 10, 2000 14 km NE of Townsend, Montana M4.0 64 km
Mar 6, 2009 18 km S of Whitehall, Montana M4.0 114 km
Jul 19, 2002 43 km NE of Seeley Lake, Montana M4.0 108 km
Nov 6, 1997 4 km WSW of Springhill, Montana M4.0 126 km
Jul 6, 2017 14 km SSE of Lincoln, Montana M4.0 42 km
Jul 14, 2019 11 km NNE of Manhattan, Montana M4.0 106 km
Jul 17, 2017 12 km ESE of Lincoln, Montana M4.0 41 km
Oct 19, 2017 12 km SE of Lincoln, Montana M3.9 41 km
Source: USGS (M2.5+, 1990-2025)

Tornado History

24 tornadoes (EF0+) within 100 km since 1950. Strongest: EF2.

Date Rating Distance Fatalities
Jun 30, 1975 EF2 68 km 0
Jul 2, 1966 EF2 88 km 0
Jun 5, 2012 EF1 94 km 0
Jul 5, 1988 EF1 85 km 0
Jun 28, 1982 EF1 59 km 0
Jul 3, 1978 EF1 79 km 0
Jul 3, 1978 EF1 79 km 0
Jul 3, 1978 EF1 79 km 0
Jun 1, 1977 EF1 88 km 0
Jul 2, 1964 EF1 97 km 0
Jun 22, 1962 EF1 98 km 0
Sep 15, 1997 EF0 92 km 0
Jun 27, 1997 EF0 17 km 0
Jun 15, 1996 EF0 80 km 0
May 17, 1994 EF0 96 km 0
Jun 21, 1993 EF0 21 km 0
Jun 11, 1993 EF0 16 km 0
Jul 9, 1992 EF0 27 km 0
Jun 12, 1992 EF0 59 km 0
Aug 11, 1988 EF0 94 km 0
Source: NOAA SPC (EF0+, 1950-2024)

Wildfire History

20 wildfires (100+ acres) within 100 km. Largest: CANYON CREEK (167,875 ac, 1988).

Year Name Acres Distance
1988 CANYON CREEK 167,875 77 km
2000 TOSTON-MAUDLOW 80,383 85 km
2021 WOODS CREEK 55,836 64 km
2003 LINCOLN COMPLEX (SNOWBANK) 36,987 58 km
1988 CANYON CREEK 35,865 38 km
2021 HARRIS MTN 31,792 52 km
2017 ALICE CREEK 29,971 54 km
2012 ELBOW PASS COMPLEX 28,989 96 km
1984 NORTH HILL 27,162 15 km
2000 CANYON FERRY COMPLEX (CAVE GULCH) 26,997 34 km
2021 HAYSTACK 26,118 65 km
2007 CONGER CREEK 22,936 89 km
2007 MERIWETHER 18,865 24 km
2017 PARK CREEK 17,915 62 km
2000 CANYON FERRY COMPLEX (BUCKSNORT) 14,843 31 km
1990 BEARTOOTH COMPLEX 13,462 33 km
2000 BOULDER COMPLEX (HIGH ORE ROAD) 9,625 48 km
2015 EUSTIS 8,469 89 km
2021 BALSINGER 8,317 94 km
2017 CHINN MA 7,029 100 km
Source: NIFC/IRWIN (100+ acres)

Monthly Weather

Month Avg Temperature Precipitation Summary
January 21°F (-6°C) 0.7 in Coldest
February 27°F (-3°C) 0.5 in Driest
March 35°F (1°C) 0.7 in
April 43°F (6°C) 1.0 in
May 52°F (11°C) 2.1 in Wettest
June 61°F (16°C) 1.9 in
July 64°F (18°C) 1.3 in
August 66°F (19°C) 1.4 in Warmest
September 56°F (13°C) 1.2 in
October 45°F (7°C) 0.7 in
November 32°F (0°C) 0.6 in
December 23°F (-5°C) 0.6 in

Helena Valley Northwest has a seasonal temperature swing of 45°F / from 21°F in January to 66°F in August. Total annual precipitation is 12.6 inches, with May being the wettest month (2.1") and February the driest (0.5").

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