Billings vs Butte-Silver Bow
Billings, Montana versus Butte-Silver Bow, Montana: a factual, side-by-side comparison of cost of living, housing, safety, schools, and climate. Greener figures rank better among US places.
Billings and Butte-Silver Bow score about the same overall (45 vs 43 of 100) — the differences are in the individual factors below.
Factor-by-factor comparison
| Factor | Billings | Butte-Silver Bow |
|---|---|---|
| Affordability | ||
| Median Household Income | $70k | $57k |
| Cost of Living | $49k | $49k |
| Home Value | $285k | $197k |
| Monthly Rent | $1k | $786 |
| Monthly Owner Costs | $32k | $10k |
| Property Tax Rate | 0.91% | 1.10% |
| Income Tax | 5.90% | 5.90% |
| Sales Tax | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Estimated total tax burden | 9.62% | 9.73% |
| Unemployment | 3.6% | 4.5% |
| Weather | ||
| Winter Temp (Jan) | 27°F | 20°F |
| Summer Temp (Jul) | 73°F | 64°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 14.8 in | 12.8 in |
| Annual Snowfall | 48.2 in | 15.2 in |
| Sunny Days | 232 days | 244 days |
| Summer Humidity | 48°F | 44°F |
| Comfortable Days | 59 days | 25 days |
| Safety & Wellbeing | ||
| Natural Disaster Risk | 47.3 | 69.4 |
| Air Quality | 20 AQI | 46 AQI |
| School Quality | 36.8 | 54.5 |
| Violent Crime | 2214/100k | 1094/100k |
| Property Crime | 4335/100k | 4400/100k |
| Community | ||
| Population | 117,093 | 34,638 |
| Median Age | 37.7 | 40.2 |
| Racial Diversity | 0.24 | 0.14 |
| Male/Female Ratio | 0.98 | 1.06 |
| Political Leaning | R+25 | D+15 |
| White (%) | 83.5% | 89.6% |
| Black (%) | 0.5% | 0.2% |
| Hispanic (%) | 7.1% | 4.7% |
| Asian (%) | 0.9% | 0.5% |
| Other / Multiracial (%) | 8.0% | 5.1% |
| Getting Around | ||
| Commute Time | 17 min | 17 min |
| Walkability | 10.1/20 | 8.8/20 |
| Airport Distance | 385 mi | 239 mi |
| Lifestyle & Connectivity | ||
| Broadband Access | 89.2% | 83.2% |
| Amenities Nearby | 32.20 | 0.00 |
| Park & Nature Access | Moderate | Limited |
Each figure is colored by how it ranks among all US places: green is strong, amber average, red weaker. Neutral factors (population, demographics, target-style climate) show their percentile without a better/worse claim.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Billings or Butte-Silver Bow more affordable?
- Billings has the lower cost of living: its index is $49k, compared with Billings's $49k and Butte-Silver Bow's $49k. Median rent is $1k in Billings versus $786 in Butte-Silver Bow.
- Is Billings or Butte-Silver Bow safer?
- Butte-Silver Bow has the lower violent crime rate. Billings reports 2214/100k and Butte-Silver Bow reports 1094/100k (violent crimes per 100,000 residents).
- Are homes cheaper in Billings or Butte-Silver Bow?
- The median home value is $285k in Billings and $197k in Butte-Silver Bow, so homes are more affordable in Butte-Silver Bow.