Best PlacesLewis and Clark, Missoula, MT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Lewis and Clark, Missoula, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Lewis and Clark, Missoula ranks 2,005th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Lewis and Clark, Missoula
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Lewis and Clark, Missoula's strengths and weaknesses
Where Lewis and Clark, Missoula ranks high
- Short commute14.0 minutes each way, better than 99% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
Where Lewis and Clark, Missoula ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 21% of neighborhoods
- Household income$56,711 median, better than only 23% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Lewis and Clark, Missoula
A household needs to earn about $138,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Lewis and Clark, Missoula home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $56,711, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Lewis and Clark, Missoula's effective rate of 0.94%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Lewis and Clark, Missoula
Lewis and Clark, Missoula runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Lewis and Clark, Missoula.
Who works in Lewis and Clark, Missoula, and how
Work in Lewis and Clark, Missoula centers on retail trade and education. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 72%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 17%
Life in Lewis and Clark, Missoula
Lewis and Clark, Missoula has more restaurants and bars per resident than 67% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 96% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Lewis and Clark, Missoula and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Lewis and Clark, Missoula, month by month
Lewis and Clark, Missoula sees roughly 121 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 33, with lows near 16. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 24° | 16° |
| April | 60° | 45° | 31° |
| July | 91° | 71° | 51° |
| October | 60° | 44° | 32° |
Flying in and out of Lewis and Clark, Missoula
The nearest airport, Missoula Montana, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field, about 251 miles away.
The best schools in and around Lewis and Clark, Missoula
Schools across Lewis and Clark, Missoula average a B, better than 74% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Lewis & Clark SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Russell SchoolB · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- Washington Middle SchoolB+ · 49% proficient
- Meadow Hill Middle SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Top high schools
- Sentinel High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Lewis and Clark, Missoula school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Lewis and Clark, Missoula measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Lewis and Clark, Missoula against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Lewis and Clark, Missoula
Is Lewis and Clark, Missoula a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Lewis and Clark, Missoula ranks 2,005th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on short commutes, biking, and quiet, and lowest on distance from a big city and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Lewis and Clark, Missoula expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $517,269. The overall cost of living runs about 2% above the national average. Set against a $56,711 median income, cost of living beats 21% of neighborhoods.
Is Lewis and Clark, Missoula safe?
Yes, Lewis and Clark, Missoula is safer than 66% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $497 per resident a year.
Compare Lewis and Clark, Missoula with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Lewis and Clark, Missoula. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Lewis and Clark, Missoula represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Lewis and Clark, Missoula detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Lewis and Clark, Missoula: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Lewis and Clark, Missoula: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Lewis and Clark, Missoula: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Lewis and Clark, Missoula: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Lewis and Clark, Missoula detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.