Census-designated place · Broadwater County, Montana

Wheatland, Montana

Wheatland is a census-designated place in Broadwater County, Montana, part of the Helena, MT metro area. It has 1,661 residents. Wheatland, Montana has a quality-of-life score of 79 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,314 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Montana it ranks #34 of 94 cities and towns. It ranks best on time spent in the emergency room (low), high school diploma or higher (high) and drug overdose deaths (low). It ranks worst on primary care physicians (low), gyms and fitness centers (low) and distance to an Amtrak station (high).

79High

Quality-of-life score: #3,314 of 15,651 cities and towns
Montana: #34 of 94 in MT
Population: 1,661 (2020-2024)
Land area: 74 mi²
Density: 22.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 3079695

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 70 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety60#6,235/15,637
Economy83#2,696/15,631
Housing—
Health73#4,140/15,609
Healthcare27#11,350/15,650
Environment88#1,921/15,453
Education82#2,875/15,649
Infrastructure58#6,632/15,650
Community69#4,805/15,651
Leisure & amenities58#6,514/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Wheatland, Montana ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Broadwater County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Time spent in the emergency room · low76 min
100/100Montana 123 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesBroadwater County value
High school diploma or higher · high95.9%
99/100Montana 94.6%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Montana 14.5 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataBroadwater County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,298 /100k
98/100Montana 1,824 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBroadwater County value
Unemployment rate · low0.0%
98/100Montana 3.3%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Restaurants and bars · high15.3 /10k
95/100Montana 13.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBroadwater County value

Weaknesses

Primary care physicians · low13 /100k
2/100Montana 83 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBroadwater County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Montana 1.8 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBroadwater County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high154 mi
4/100Montana 117 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauBroadwater County value
Social associations · low5.0 /10k
6/100Montana 13.8 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBroadwater County value
Comfortable days · low22.8%
7/100Montana 22.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationBroadwater County value
Traffic deaths · high28.7 /100k
8/100Montana 19.4 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataBroadwater County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
545 (2015-2019) → 1,661 (2020-2024)
+205%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Poverty rateWorsening
0.0% (2015-2019) → 12.9% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.7× (2015-2019) → 6.0× (2020-2024)
+63%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.259 (2015-2019) → 0.370 (2020-2024)
+43%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483
Median household incomeImproving
$91,944 (2015-2019) → $123,277 (2020-2024)
+34%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
14.4% (2015-2019) → 7.7% (2020-2024)
−6.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Wheatland, Montana improved on 1 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 8 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Household income+34%$91,944 → $123,277

Declined2

Poverty+13 points0.0% → 12.9%
Price / income+2.3×3.7× → 6.0×

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Wheatland, Montana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	33.2 min2015-2019	22.5 min2020-2024	−10.6 min	Within the margin of error	99%
Bachelor's degree or higher	28.9%2015-2019	27.3%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Broadband subscriptions	94.2%2015-2019	90.0%2020-2024	−4.2 points	Within the margin of error	3%
Child poverty rate	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Effective property tax rate	0.68%2015-2019	0.44%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	67%
High school diploma or higher	94.2%2015-2019	95.9%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Home price to income ratio	3.7×2015-2019	6.0×2020-2024	+2.3×	Declined	2%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.2592015-2019	0.3702020-2024	+0.111	Within the margin of error	4%
Median household income	$91,9442015-2019	$123,2772020-2024	+34%	Improved	64%
Poverty rate	0.0%2015-2019	12.9%2020-2024	+13 points	Declined	2%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Wheatland, Montana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Wheatland, Montana in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Wheatland, Montana itself moved −3.3 points in standing on average over the same 8 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,661 residents (±436)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 10–19 women (+13.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,661 residents (±436)

Wheatland, Montana
Montana share

White89%1,485
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino11%†176

Education

1,140 residents (±315)

Wheatland, Montana
Montana share

No high school diploma4.1%†47
High school or GED26%†298
Some college26%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

451 households (±135)

Wheatland, Montana
Montana share

Under $25k5.1%†23
$25k–50k18%†81
$50k–75k3.8%†17
$75k–100k7.3%†33
$100k–150k28%†126
$150k–200k18%†79
$200k or more20%†92

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $75k–100k (−25.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

451 households (±135)

Wheatland, Montana
Montana share

Own100%451
Rent0.0%0

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Home values

451 homes (±135)

Wheatland, Montana
Montana share

Under $150k0.0%0
$150k–250k2.9%†13
$250k–400k2.0%†9

Age of homes

497 homes (±145)

Wheatland, Montana
Montana share

2010 or later41%†202
2000–200949%†245
1980–19990.0%0

Size of homes

497 homes (±145)

Wheatland, Montana
Montana share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom2.8%†14
2 bedrooms7.8%†39

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,018 workers (±339)

Wheatland, Montana
Montana share

Drive alone71%†719
Carpool20%†200
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home9.7%†99
Other0.0%0

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

919 workers (±317)

Wheatland, Montana
Montana share

Under 15 min20%†182
15–29 min42%†386
30–44 min31%†284

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Helena, MT

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Broadwater County, the county holding most of Wheatland's residents.

Broadwater County has 207 employer establishments, 257 for every 10,000 residents (1.03× the US rate of 248; 0.68× Montana's), with 1,114 paid employees at an average annual pay of $40,940. The Census Bureau also counts 793 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 207; 793 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 257; US 248 · Montana 376
Paid employees: 1,114
Average annual pay: $40,940; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Broadwater County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	35	43.4	2.80×More than typical	88	$55,557	97
Construction of buildings	18	22.3	2.95×More than typical	21	$55,238	56
Building equipment contractors	13	16.1	2.68×More than typical	33	$57,939	19
Restaurants and other eating places	12	14.9	0.81×About typical	105	$18,257	—
Truck transportation	12	14.9	2.94×More than typical	38	$73,158	32
Automotive repair and maintenance	9	11.2	2.22×Too few to compare	30	$35,933	18
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	9	11.2	3.54×Too few to compare	25	$65,480	17
Lessors of real estate	8	9.9	0.81×Too few to compare	15	$44,600	80
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	7	8.7	3.27×Too few to compare	28	$32,250	4
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	7	8.7	7.16×Too few to compare	85	$16,847	—
Electrical contractors and wiring installation	7	8.7	3.51×Too few to compare	16	$61,938	9
Other specialty trade contractors	7	8.7	3.46×Too few to compare	13	$52,846	41

Rank places for an industry Open Broadwater County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 8,061 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Wheatland is mostly in Broadwater County.

See federal money in Broadwater County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Wheatland, Montana is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Troy DowningR-MT-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 0.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Broadwater County67100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Helena, MT93

Other cities and towns in Broadwater County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

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