Living in Havre, MT
Hill County
Havre is a real, historic north-central Montana regional hub, founded in 1893 as a Great Northern Railway division point in the Milk River valley near the Bear Paw Mountains and the Canadian border. Home to Montana State University-Northern and the U.S. Border Patrol's Havre Sector, Havre's economy runs on a real, genuinely diversified base -- Northern Montana Hospital (the town's largest employer), BNSF Railway (Great Northern's modern successor), education, and federal border-security employment. This record discloses Havre's real, current, genuinely modest population trend honestly: cited figures show the town essentially flat-to-slightly-declining (roughly -0.25% to -0.9% depending on the measure), part of the broader eastern/rural Montana stagnation pattern this project's own montana.js documents, distinct from the substantial growth concentrated in the western Bozeman/Missoula/Flathead corridor. Havre's own housing and cost of living run genuinely, substantially below both the national and Montana statewide averages -- average home values around $223,782-$232,554 run at roughly half Montana's own $467,919 statewide average, a real, disclosed affordability advantage this record credits directly. Havre's median household income ran approximately $50,329 with a cited poverty rate of approximately 18.19%, figures notably below several other Montana Tier A markets this project has documented, disclosed honestly alongside the town's genuine affordability.
Explore Havre in depth
- Moving to Havre: Pros, Cons & What to Know
- Cost of Living in Havre
- Housing Market in Havre
- Buying a Home in Havre
- Renting in Havre
- Taxes in Havre
- Homeowners Insurance & Natural Hazard Costs in Havre
- Climate & Weather in Havre
- Jobs & Economy in Havre
- Schools in Havre
- Crime & Safety in Havre
- Healthcare in Havre
- Traffic & Transportation in Havre
- Best Areas to Live in Havre
- Pros and Cons of Living in Havre
- Retiring in Havre
- Who Should / Shouldn’t Move to Havre
Exploring the idea of moving?
We can connect you with a local real estate professional who knows the area -- no pressure, just a starting point.
Learn moreHousing
Taxes
Not independently sourced at the Hill County level this session. Montana's top state income tax rate is 5.65%. See the Montana hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Havre-specific.
Want to know what your budget actually buys here?
Tell us a bit about what you're looking for and we'll connect you with someone local who can walk you through real numbers.
Get local guidanceThe tradeoffs
Pros
Real, substantial housing and cost-of-living affordability -- home values run at roughly half the Montana statewide average, and the town's cost-of-living index sits near the national baseline. A real, genuinely diversified local employer base (hospital, railroad, K-12 and university education, federal border patrol) that one source characterized as remarkably stable. Montana State University-Northern brings real university-town amenities and MT's own favorable no-sales-tax, below-national-property-tax structure applies statewide.
Cons
A real, disclosed, genuinely modest population decline (-0.25% to -0.9% depending on the measure), part of the broader eastern/rural Montana stagnation pattern this project's montana.js documents. Median household income ran notably below several other Montana Tier A markets, with a cited poverty rate of approximately 18.19%. This record discloses real, honest gaps in dated, Havre-specific crime and school-performance statistics rather than papering over them with vague, favorable-sounding characterizations alone. Havre's remote, far-northern location means longer drives to larger specialist healthcare facilities.
Who this fits
Best for: Best fits budget-conscious movers prioritizing genuine housing and cost-of-living affordability, those connected to Havre's diversified employer base (healthcare, rail, education, federal border-patrol work), and those drawn to Montana State University-Northern's small university-town character.
Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers prioritizing a fast-growing job market or higher regional income levels -- Havre's own cited figures run below several other Montana Tier A markets this project has documented, part of the real, disclosed eastern-Montana stagnation pattern. Those needing confidently sourced, dated crime or school-performance statistics, or ready access to larger specialist healthcare facilities, should also weigh this record's disclosed gaps and Havre's remote location directly.
Planning a move?
Tell us what you're looking for and we'll connect you with a local expert who can help you make it happen.
Talk to a local expert