Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety32#628/924
Economy47#489/925
Housing43#532/925
Health41#543/925
Healthcare97#32/923
Environment78#201/917
Education70#279/925
Infrastructure57#396/925
Community81#181/925
Leisure & amenities98#21/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Butte-Silver Bow, MT micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Arts, entertainment and recreation · high17.2 /10k
99/100Montana 13.7 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Hot days · low0 days
98/100Montana 15 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Preventable hospital stays · low1,321 /100k
97/100Montana 1,824 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Restaurants and bars · high16.6 /10k
96/100Montana 13.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Average commute time · low16.9 min
94/100Montana 19.1 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
93/100Montana 4.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Distance to an Amtrak station · high166 mi
5/100Montana 117 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Child care cost burden · high40.8%
5/100Montana 40.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Injury deaths · high131 /100k
8/100Montana 105 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Suicide rate · high27.5 /100k
9/100Montana 30.3 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Drought exposure · high88%
9/100Montana 52%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Property crime rate · high2,064 /100k
10/100Montana 1,449 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Homicide rateImproving
4.9 /100k (2021) → 0.0 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
High ozone daysImproving
1 days (2017) → 0 days (2022)
−100%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
New homes permittedImproving
2.0 /1k (2021) → 3.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+80%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Drug overdose deathsImproving
56.3 /100k (2021) → 19.5 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−65%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Drought exposureWorsening
75% (2021) → 88% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+12 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Property crime rateImproving
4,605 /100k (2020) → 2,064 /100k (2025)
−55%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k

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, Butte-Silver Bow, MT micropolitan area improved on 12 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 7. 9 moved within the margin of error and 3 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved12

Homicides−100%3.3 /100k → 0.0 /100k
Traffic deaths−38%12.6 /100k → 7.8 /100k
Property crime−55%4,605 /100k → 2,064 /100k
Household income+35%$45,718 → $61,754
Grocery stores+11%2.0 /10k → 2.2 /10k

Declined7

Libraries−36%0.9 /10k → 0.6 /10k
Restaurants−15%19.6 /10k → 16.6 /10k
Overdose deaths+23%15.8 /100k → 19.5 /100k
Firearm deaths+33%16.4 /100k → 21.8 /100k
Violent crime+13%405 /100k → 459 /100k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Butte-Silver Bow, MT micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	14.8 /10k2020	17.2 /10k2025	+16%	Improved	67%
Average commute time	15.3 min2015-2019	16.9 min2020-2024	+1.6 min	Within the margin of error	19%
Average weekly wage	$8832020	$1,1182025	+27%	Improved	77%
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.2%2015-2019	28.0%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Broadband subscriptions	76.3%2015-2019	86.5%2020-2024	+10 points	Improved	64%
Child poverty rate	19.9%2015-2019	15.2%2020-2024	−4.7 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Distance to an airport	68 mi2020	68 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	15.8 /100k2020	19.5 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+23%	Declined	16%
Effective property tax rate	1.04%2015-2019	0.84%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	75%
Firearm deaths	16.4 /100k2020	21.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+33%	Declined	17%
Grocery stores	2.0 /10k2020	2.2 /10k2025	+11%	Improved	79%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.4 /10k2020	1.7 /10k2025	+17%	Improved	67%
High school diploma or higher	92.5%2015-2019	94.0%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Home price to income ratio	3.3×2015-2019	4.1×2020-2024	+0.9×	Declined	17%
Homicide rate	3.3 /100k2020	0.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−100%	Improved	95%
Income adjusted for local prices	$51,5042019	$67,9502024	+32%	Improved	53%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4712015-2019	0.4702020-2024	−0.001	Within the margin of error	57%
Median household income	$45,7182015-2019	$61,7542020-2024	+35%	Improved	86%
New business applications	9.3 /1k2020	13.4 /1k2025	+44%	Improved	46%
Pharmacies	1.4 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	−2.5%	Little change	62%
Poverty rate	17.4%2015-2019	14.8%2020-2024	−2.6 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Property crime rate	4,605 /100k2020	2,064 /100k2025	−55%	Improved	91%
Public libraries	0.9 /10k2019	0.6 /10k2024	−36%	Declined	1%
Rent as share of income	29.9%2015-2019	28.9%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Rent-burdened households	49.8%2015-2019	46.5%2020-2024	−3.3 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Restaurants and bars	19.6 /10k2020	16.6 /10k2025	−15%	Declined	6%
Suicide rate	25.8 /100k2020	27.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+6.6%	Declined	44%
Traffic deaths	12.6 /100k2015-2019	7.8 /100k2020-2024	−38%	Improved	97%
Unemployment rate	6.8%2020	3.7%2025	−3.1 points	Improved	53%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.4%2015-2019	7.4%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Violent crime rate	405 /100k2020	459 /100k2025	+13%	Declined	15%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Butte-Silver Bow, MT micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Butte-Silver Bow, MT micropolitan area 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, Butte-Silver Bow, MT micropolitan area itself moved +1.9 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

35,785 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

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

Household income

15,419 households (±302)

Butte-Silver Bow, MT micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k20%3,150
$25k–50k21%3,220
$50k–75k20%3,136

Homes

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

Owners and renters

15,419 households (±302)

Butte-Silver Bow, MT micropolitan area
United States share

Own71%10,920
Rent29%4,499

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

16,756 workers (±612)

Butte-Silver Bow, MT micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone76%12,818
Carpool11%1,823
Public transit0.7%†123

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 no occupation wages for Butte-Silver Bow, MT micropolitan area.

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.

Butte-Silver Bow, MT has 1,208 employer establishments, 334 for every 10,000 residents (1.35× the US rate of 248), with 13,583 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,923. The Census Bureau also counts 2,701 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,208; 2,701 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 334; US 248
Paid employees: 13,583
Average annual pay: $49,923; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Butte-Silver Bow, MT by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	131	36.3	1.74×More than typical	1,060	$73,928	144
Restaurants and other eating places	74	20.5	1.12×About typical	1,510	$20,421	16
Specialty trade contractors	72	19.9	1.29×More than typical	396	$68,008	190
Lessors of real estate	51	14.1	1.15×About typical	104	$38,462	443
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	44	12.2	4.58×More than typical	342	$19,211	27
Offices of other health practitioners	43	11.9	1.96×More than typical	143	$33,350	94
Construction of buildings	38	10.5	1.39×More than typical	208	$67,933	97
Services to buildings and dwellings	37	10.2	1.52×More than typical	129	$30,202	98
Limited-service restaurants	35	9.7	1.21×About typical	630	$20,984	4
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	32	8.9	7.31×More than typical	193	$13,601	6
Offices of physicians	30	8.3	1.28×More than typical	322	$129,037	25
Full-service restaurants	29	8	1.05×About typical	782	$20,032	5

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 36,122 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $1.4M on contracts performed in Butte-Silver Bow, MT micropolitan area: $38.03 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1.4M; −97% vs FY2025
Per resident: $38.03; US $1,994
Sole-source: 100%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Indian Health Service$1.6M100%
Forest Service$525.7K38%
Bureau of Land Management$505.7K37%
Department of the Navy$177.1K13%
National Institute of Standards and Technology$59.3K4.3%
Social Security Administration$28.8K2.1%
Department of the Army$10.1K0.7%

Top recipients

BUTTE NATIVE WELLNESS CENTER, INC.$1.6M100%
TETRA TECH, INC.$468.3K34%
REHBEIN ENTERPRISES INC$252.3K18%
RESODYN ACOUSTIC MIXERS, INCORPORATED$177.1K13%
RAMTOM ACQUISITION LLC$59.3K4.3%

Spending by fiscal year

4.9MFY2017
12.9MFY2018
5.1MFY2019
8.4MFY2020
5.8MFY2021
9.8MFY2022
7.8MFY2023
9M

Top industries (NAICS)

Outpatient care centers · 6214$1.6M100%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$468.3K34%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$274.8K20%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$208.5K15%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$153K11%
Support activities for crop production · 1151

Largest awards

DESIGN-BUILD CONSTRUCTION SERVICES FOR MIKE MANSFIELD FEDERAL BUILDING & US COURTHOUSE SEISMIC RETROFIT & LTD MODERNIZATION IN BUTTE, MT$42.9M
SWANK ENTERPRISES, INC.· Silver Bow County, MT· Construction & real property· May 7, 2025 – Jul 7, 2026· 47PJ0025C0017
COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH SERVICES FOR THE ELIGIBLE AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVES, MISSOULA, MONTANA.$2.7M
BUTTE NATIVE WELLNESS CENTER, INC.· Silver Bow County, MT· Health & medical· Jan 30, 2025 – Sep 28, 2026· 75H70925C00003
BIOMINERALIZATION TO STRENGTHEN NATIVE SUBGRADE MATERIALS TO REDUCE COSTS AND TIME TO CONSTRUCT EXPEDITIONARY AIR FORCE RUNWAYS$1.2M
BIOSQUEEZE INC· Silver Bow County, MT· Research & development· Aug 14, 2024 – Mar 5, 2026· FA864924P0988

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $263.8M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Butte-Silver Bow, MT micropolitan area: $7,305 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $263.8M; −17% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,305; US $12,955
Loan face value: $11.3M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$156.4M59%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$23M8.7%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$17.7M6.7%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$13M4.9%
64.015 · Veterans State Nursing Home Care$7.3M2.7%
20.901 · Payments for Essential Air Services$6.8M2.6%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$6M2.3%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$3.9M1.5%

Top recipients (organizations)

STATE OF MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES$7.3M2.7%
HELENA, MT
SKYWEST AIRLINES INC$6.8M2.6%
SAINT GEORGE, UT
MONTANA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY$5.4M2.0%
BUTTE, MT
PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITY OF BUTTE$4.7M1.8%
BUTTE, MT
BERT MOONEY AIRPORT

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$193.1M73%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$25.8M9.8%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Under Secretary for Health/Veterans Health Administration$7.3M2.8%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Immediate Office of the Secretary of Transportation$6.8M2.6%
Department of Transportation
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing

Assistance by fiscal year

227.1MFY2021
240.1MFY2022
284.6MFY2023
247.3MFY2024
316.5MFY2025
263.8MFY2026

County aggregates

84%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Butte-Silver Bow, MT

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Silver Bow CountyCentral county7136,118

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Butte-Silver BowPrincipal city35,052

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Montana

Areas based in Montana, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Helena, MT93

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M15580

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved12

Declined7

Metro and micro areas like Butte-Silver Bow, MT micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Butte-Silver Bow, MT

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Montana

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved12

Declined7

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought