Elevation of Helena
4,048ft
above sea level · 1,234 m
Helena is the capital of Montana. Of the 50 state capitals, it’s the 6th highest. The state’s largest city is Billings.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 46.59° N · 112.04° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 46° 35′ 34″ N · 112° 2′ 10″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 12T · 420,633 E · 5,160,427 N
- Zone 12 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Mountain Time
- UTC−7 · UTC−6 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 35,138 people
- 17.2 sq mi of land · 2,037 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from August 2022: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Helena had 35,138 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 9.4% more than in April 2020, when it had 32,108. Its 17.2 sq mi of land work out to 2,037 people/sq mi; the state average is 7.9 people/sq mi.
It’s the 6th most populous of the 496 places the Census counts in Montana (cities, towns and CDPs), after Billings (121,239), and holds 3.1% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Lewis and Clark County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 0.8 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other state capitals
Helena sits at 4,048 ft (1,234 m) above sea level. Of the 50 state capitals, the highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft). The average is 1,098 ft: Helena is 2,950 ft above it.
The highest point in Montana is Granite Peak, at 12,799 ft according to the USGS: 8,751 ft above Helena, 146 mi away in a straight line.
- 6 Helena 4,048 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
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Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Helena.
What is the elevation of Helena?
Helena is 4,048 feet (1,234 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Helena?
Latitude 46.59271 and longitude -112.03611, in decimal degrees (46° 35′ 34″ N · 112° 2′ 10″ W). In UTM, zone 12: 420,633 E and 5,160,427 N, on NAD83.
How does Helena rank among the highest state capitals?
It’s the 6th highest of the 50 state capitals. The highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft).
What county is Helena in?
Lewis and Clark County, Montana.
Which is higher, Helena or Boise?
Helena. Helena sits at 4,048 ft and Boise at 2,700 ft: a difference of 1,348 ft, 289 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know