Helena
Latest: 2024
Leans Republican — 81K residents — 2 counties
Race & ancestry
| Group | % |
|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 88.6% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(8) | 3.9% |
▶Black / African American(6) | 0.5% |
▶Asian(6) | 0.5% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(1) | 0.1% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(4) | 1.3% |
Multiracial / Other | 5.1% |
Religious adherence
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | 11.3% | 35.8% |
| Evangelical Protestant | 10.3% | 32.6% |
| Other | 5.3% | 16.6% |
| Mainline Protestant | 4.7% | 14.8% |
| LDS (Mormon) | 4.6% | 14.5% |
| Non-religious | 68.3% | — |
Presidential results
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Trump+11.3 |
| 2020 | Trump+8.6 |
| 2016 | Trump+10.9 |
| 2012 | Romney+7.1 |
| 2008 | Obama+3.2 |
| 2004 | Bush+15.6 |
| 2000 | Bush+20.9 |
| 1996 | Dole+1.9 |
| 1992 | Clinton+5.1 |
Helena is a media market that has a population of 81,132. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Republican with a margin of R+11.3. Akashic Edge tracks 34 presidential elections here, dating back to 1892.
| Year | Dem % | Rep % | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 42.6% | 53.9% | R+11.3 | R+2.7 |
| 2020 | 44.2% | 52.8% | R+8.6 | D+2.3 |
| 2016 | 39.2% | 50.1% | R+10.9 | R+3.8 |
| 2012 | 45.1% | 52.2% | R+7.1 | R+10.2 |
| 2008 | 50.1% | 47.0% | D+3.2 | D+18.8 |
| 2004 | 41.2% | 56.7% | R+15.6 | D+5.3 |
| 2000 | 35.6% | 56.5% | R+20.9 | R+19.0 |
| 1996 | 42.6% | 44.5% | R+1.9 | R+7.0 |
| 1992 | 41.4% | 36.3% | D+5.1 | D+3.0 |
| 1988 | 50.1% | 48.0% | D+2.1 | D+25.4 |
| 1984 | 37.7% | 61.0% | R+23.3 | D+2.9 |
| 1980 | 31.7% | 57.9% | R+26.2 | R+14.6 |
| 1976 | 43.6% | 55.1% | R+11.6 | D+16.0 |
| 1972 | 34.7% | 62.2% | R+27.5 | R+9.1 |
| 1968 | 37.9% | 56.3% | R+18.4 | R+27.4 |
| 1964 | 54.4% | 45.4% | D+9.0 | D+17.9 |
| 1960 | 45.5% | 54.4% | R+8.9 | D+20.2 |
| 1956 | 35.4% | 64.6% | R+29.1 | R+2.5 |
| 1952 | 36.6% | 63.2% | R+26.6 | R+21.4 |
| 1948 | 46.2% | 51.4% | R+5.2 | — |
What defines Helena?
Helena has been won by both parties in the last 6 presidential elections (1D, 5R) — a genuine swing geography. It has a highly educated electorate (42% college-educated) — a demographic increasingly aligned with Democrats nationwide.
Constituent Counties
Similar media markets
Nearest neighbors matched on the same place-page feature set used across the dossier system.
Missoula
Small-town rural republican 2
Bangor
Small-town rural republican 2
Bend, OR
Small-town rural republican 2
Wilmington
Small-town rural republican 2
Rochestr-Mason City-Austin
Small-town rural republican 3
Wausau-Rhinelander
Small-town rural republican 2
Erie
Small-town rural republican 2
Grand Junction-Montrose
Small-town rural republican 2
Counties in Helena
2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
Sort:
| County | Pop. | Margin | Dem | Rep | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis and Clark | 73K | R+5.7 | 19,085 | 21,479 | 42,023 | 89.7% |
| Broadwater | 8K | R+60.0 | 885 | 3,770 | 4,810 | 10.3% |
2 countiesTotal votes: 46,833
Ask the Historian
Explore Helena's political evolution with the Historian
Key Insights
High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
- Split-ticket voting in 2024: Different parties won President and Senate
- Won by both parties in recent history — Democrats most recently in 2008, Republicans in 2024
- College attainment is 42% — 9pp above the national average. Similar education levels correlate with Democratic lean nationally
Who Lives Here
A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Census race profile
Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.
| Group | Helena | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 88.6% | 57.4% |
Multiracial / Other | 5.1% | 4.0% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(8) | 3.9% | 19.3% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(4) | 1.3% | 0.9% |
▶Black / African American(6) | 0.5% | 12.2% |
▶Asian(6) | 0.5% | 6.0% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(1) | 0.1% | 0.9% |
Method notes
Religious Adherents
Population that are religious adherents:
31.7%
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents | US Pop | US Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.3% | 35.8% | — | — | |
| 10.3% | 32.6% | — | — | |
| 5.3% | 16.6% | — | — | |
| 4.7% | 14.8% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 4.6% | 14.5% | — | — |
Non-religiousPopulation | 68.3% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Helena media market? 81,132 residents across 2 counties.
Demographics
Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
42% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 9pp above the national average. Places with similar education levels vote D+16 on average nationally.
Population & electorate
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Total population
81K
Share of U.S. population
0.02%
Voting-age population
77.0%
Economic profile
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Median household income
$77,585
Poverty rate
8.5%
College degree
41.5%
Homeownership
71.5%
Community profile
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
Median age
42.2 yrs
Age 18–29
12.9%
Age 65+
20.5%
Foreign born
1.8%
Non-English at home
2.7%
English only
97.3%
Turnout in Helena
Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
75.0%
+0.4pp
62,473
1988–2024
How competitive is Helena?
Likely RAvg margin: R+10.3 (last 3 elections)
2008
D+3.2
2012
R+7.1
2016
R+10.9
2020
R+8.6
2024
R+11.3
14.4pp
2
R+6.9
Do voters in Helena split their tickets?
Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
Heavy splitting (0/100)
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| President vs Senate | R+11.3 | D+1.1 | 12.4pp |
| Senate vs Governor | D+1.1 | R+10.9 | 12.0pp |
| President vs Governor | R+11.3 | R+10.9 | 0.4pp |
Average divergence across office pairs: 17.2pp
Located In
Helena sits inside these higher-level geographies.
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