Best PlacesWest End, Billings, MT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around West End, Billings, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
West End, Billings ranks 1,776th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in West End, Billings
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.
West End, Billings' strengths and weaknesses
Where West End, Billings ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Short commute15.6 minutes each way, better than 97% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
Where West End, Billings ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 35% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 38% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in West End, Billings
A household needs to earn about $84,000 a year to comfortably buy the median West End, Billings home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $70,146, 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 West End, Billings' effective rate of 0.82%, 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 West End, Billings
West End, Billings's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 West End, Billings.
Who works in West End, Billings, and how
Work in West End, Billings centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in West End, Billings
West End, Billings has more restaurants and bars per resident than 79% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 88% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of West End, Billings and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in West End, Billings, month by month
West End, Billings sees roughly 134 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 39, with lows near 17. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 27° | 17° |
| April | 60° | 45° | 33° |
| July | 92° | 75° | 59° |
| October | 63° | 48° | 36° |
Flying in and out of West End, Billings
The nearest airport, Billings Logan International, is about 4 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Salt Lake City International, about 384 miles away.
The best schools in and around West End, Billings
Schools across West End, Billings average a C+, better than 57% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Meadowlark SchoolA− · 61% proficient
- Boulder SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Central Heights SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
Top middle schools
- Elysian Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
- Will James Middle SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- Lewis & Clark Middle SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
Top high schools
- Billings West High SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Billings Sr High SchoolC · 31% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every West End, Billings school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
West End, Billings 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 West End, Billings against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in West End, Billings
Is West End, Billings a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, West End, Billings ranks 1,776th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low disaster risk, short commutes, and low crime, and lowest on distance from a big city and transit. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is West End, Billings expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $318,563. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $70,146 median income, cost of living beats 54% of neighborhoods.
Is West End, Billings safe?
Yes, West End, Billings is safer than 93% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $353 per resident a year.
Compare West End, Billings with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to West End, Billings. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in West End, Billings 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.
West End, Billings detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for West End, Billings: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in West End, Billings: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of West End, Billings: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in West End, Billings: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
West End, Billings 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.