akashic
1876–2024
Helena, MT·Montana

Helena, MT delivered R+15 in 2024.

Montana's capital anchors a rare urban-rural political crossroads

1876 — 2024·38 elections
MT
LatestR+15in 2024
TypologyStable Rural Rightcluster typology
Population93,9062024 ACS

Helena, MT, Montana: Stable Rural Right metro. In 2024, voted R+15%. Democratic peak: D+67 in 1896.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
R+15MIT Election Lab
Political typology
Stable Rural RightAkashic typology
Population
93,9062024 5-year
Median household income
$79,9422024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
90.7%2024 5-year
Black
0.5%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
3.8%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+67 in 1896MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+28 in 1956MIT Election Lab
2024 presidential election
Helena, MT
TrumpR+15
—
2024 presidential margin by county for Helena, MT, MTA map of the constituent counties of Helena, MT, MT, each outlined and filled by its 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic).Jefferson County, MT · R+37Broadwater County, MT · R+60Lewis and Clark County, MT · R+6
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Donald Trump ✓Republican55.9%30,793
Kamala HarrisDemocratic40.8%22,486
OtherAll other candidates3.3%1,845
D+60
R+60
3 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over timeDemocratic-minus-Republican presidential margin from 1876 to 2024. Most recent: −15.1% in 2024.flipped R · 2012−15.1%DR18762024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
1876No data
1880No data
1884No data
1888No data
1892+1.0%
1896+66.8%
1900+20.2%
1904−14.9%
1908+5.5%
1912+14.4%
1916+15.8%
1920−22.9%
1924−18.1%
1928−13.8%
1932+16.2%
1936+32.8%
1940+11.0%
1944+0.5%
1948−3.9%
1952−26.1%
1956−28.4%
1960−8.3%
1964+9.9%
1968−16.4%
1972−26.3%
1976−11.0%
1980−26.0%
1984−23.5%
1988+0.9%
1992+4.0%
1996−3.1%
2000−23.0%
2004−18.3%
2008+0.4%
2012−10.2%
2016−14.1%
2020−12.3%
2024−15.1%
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
R
−15.1%
22,48630,79355,124
R
−12.3%
23,20329,92754,513
R
−14.1%
17,04923,42045,143
R
−10.2%
18,65623,01042,850
D
+0.4%
20,55320,37942,020
R
−18.3%
15,13122,11638,067
R
−23.0%
11,95719,88734,506
R
−3.1%
13,91314,94233,314
D
+4.0%
13,02311,72232,246
D
+0.9%
14,27014,00728,854
R
−23.5%
10,55017,14028,074
R
−26.0%
8,27115,02125,999
R
−11.0%
9,88512,36222,560
R
−26.3%
7,39612,91620,977
R
−16.4%
6,6389,44817,122
D
+9.9%
9,0687,42616,522
R
−8.3%
7,4088,75716,186
R
−28.4%
5,5069,87715,383
R
−26.1%
5,6859,70915,427
R
−3.9%
6,1176,62813,086
D
+0.5%
6,0986,03912,184
D
+11.0%
7,9276,34714,393
D
+32.8%
8,0944,02612,385
D
+16.2%
6,9484,96712,229
R
−13.8%
4,6926,19710,937
R
−18.1%
2,7894,61210,059
R
−22.9%
3,7236,04010,096
D
+15.8%
6,5614,71911,652
O
+14.4%
2,4351,5066,461
D
+5.5%
3,2712,9056,683
R
−14.9%
2,5263,5606,917
D
+20.2%
4,3152,8497,260
D
+66.8%
6,1241,2107,355
D
+1.0%
2,8232,7547,225
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Demographics

2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
24.2%
Irish
16.4%
English
16.0%
American
5.2%
Scottish
3.3%
French
3.1%
Italian
3.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 42.9 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.4%
85+
0.9%
3.1%
75–84
3.1%
6.6%
65–74
6.7%
6.9%
55–64
7.5%
5.9%
45–54
5.9%
6.8%
35–44
6.4%
6.1%
25–34
5.6%
3.5%
18–24
3.7%
8.0%
5–17
7.9%
2.6%
<5
2.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$79,942
Helena, MT ranks near the middle of US counties.
Helena, MT$79,942
Montana$72,509
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
8.1%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 187.0%
Working age (18–64)8.3%
Seniors (65+)9.6%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
97.3%
speak English only
Other Indo-European1.1%
Spanish1.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.6%
Other languages0.1%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Other Christian
11.1%
Catholic & Orthodox
11.1%
Mainline Protestant
4.1%
Pentecostal & Holiness
3.3%
Methodist
1.3%
Baptist
0.9%
Non-Christian
0.3%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 67.8% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Helena's Lewis and Clark County swings closer to statewide margins than most Montana metros, making it a bellwether corridor where state-employee demographics and surrounding ranch country pull the electorate in competing directions.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of sixty-seven points in 1896 and a Republican high of twenty-eight points in 1956. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved three points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was fifteen points.

A population of 93,906, a 91% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $79,942 describe the metro.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Helena, MT, Montana. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/25740/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Helena, MT, Montana vote in 2024?
In 2024, Helena, MT, Montana voted Republican by 15.1 points (R+15), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 55,124 votes cast, 22,486 went Democratic and 30,793 went Republican.
What is Helena, MT, Montana's political typology?
Akashic places Helena, MT, Montana in the "Stable Rural Right" typology. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the metro has voted Democratic 13 times, Republican 20 times, and other 1 times.
When did Helena, MT, Montana last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Helena, MT, Montana voted Democratic was 2008.
How many people live in Helena, MT, Montana?
Helena, MT, Montana has a population of 93,906 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Helena, MT, Montana?
Median household income in Helena, MT, Montana is $79,942 — below the national median of $80,734. The Montana state median is $72,509.
What is the political history of Helena, MT, Montana?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Helena, MT, Montana from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 13 went Democratic and 20 went Republican. The metro's typology — "Stable Rural Right" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.