Global CityIntelligence

Economy & jobs

Economy and jobs in Helena

Helena has a tourism-driven economy with strengths in tourism, hospitality and energy.

Economy type
Tourism economy
Economy score
80/100

Economy overview

Helena has a tourism-driven economy with strengths in tourism, hospitality and energy.

Helena, United States is classified as a tourism economy in our deterministic economy index. These are planning estimates derived from country economic priors and existing city signals — not measured GDP or labour-market statistics. Data year 2025; last updated 2026-05-16.

Key industries

The sectors that most shape the local economy, derived deterministically from country and city signals.

Key industries

  • Tourism
  • Hospitality
  • Energy
  • Technology
  • Manufacturing
  • Aerospace

Employment outlook

The breadth of the labour market and where opportunities concentrate.

Employment outlook

Employment79/100
Job market81/100

Helena's labour market is very strong, with opportunities concentrated in tourism and hospitality, technology and manufacturing.

Salary potential

Estimated pay levels and how far local incomes stretch against the cost of living.

Salary potential

Salary potential81/100
Affordability-adjusted income69/100

The affordability-adjusted income score combines estimated pay with the local cost of living, indicating how far a typical income stretches in Helena.

Business environment

Conditions for operating and growing a business locally.

Business environment

Business environment84/100

This reflects infrastructure, institutional capacity, and the scale of the local market relative to peer cities.

Startup ecosystem

How supportive the local ecosystem is for new ventures.

Startup ecosystem

Startup ecosystem78/100
Innovation82/100

The startup ecosystem in Helena is strong, supported by universities and skilled talent, a favourable business environment and strong infrastructure.

Remote work suitability

Suitability for remote and distributed work.

Remote work suitability

Remote work84/100
Remote job availability84/100

Helena offers strong infrastructure and amenities for remote professionals, with a remote-work score of 84/100.

Career opportunities

Overall career opportunity and how it breaks down by sector.

Career opportunities

Overall career opportunity81/100
Technology82/100
Healthcare64/100
Finance57/100
Manufacturing72/100
Tourism84/100
Education64/100

Economy score

A 0–100 composite of employment, salary, business environment, startups, innovation, remote work, and affordability-adjusted income. Used consistently across the platform.

Economy score

Economy score80/100
Employment79/100
Salary81/100
Business environment84/100
Startup ecosystem78/100
Innovation82/100
Remote work84/100

Jobs score

A 0–100 labour-market composite and its sector components.

Jobs score

Job market81/100
Technology82/100
Healthcare64/100
Finance57/100
Manufacturing72/100
Tourism84/100
Education64/100
Remote availability84/100
Career opportunity81/100

Continue exploring

Continue researching this city across the platform's other planning surfaces.

Continue exploring