Plains is a very small town located in the state of Montana. With a population of 1,200 people and just one neighborhood, Plains is the 83rd largest community in Montana.
Unlike some towns where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Plains is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Plains is a town of sales and office workers, service providers, and professionals. There are especially a lot of people living in Plains who work in sales jobs (20.71%), management occupations (12.03%), and law enforcement and fire fighting (10.65%).
A relatively large number of people in Plains telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 19.72% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
Overall, Plains’s crime rate is one of the lowest in the nation, which makes a great place to live if safety is an important concern.
Residents of the town have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 17.00 minutes getting to work every day.
Plains is a small town, and as such doesn't have a public transit system that people use to get to and from their jobs every day.
The percentage of adults in Plains with college degrees is slightly lower than the national average of 21.84% for all communities. 16.31% of adults in Plains have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.
The per capita income in Plains in 2022 was $28,828, which is lower middle income relative to Montana and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $115,312 for a family of four. However, Plains contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
The people who call Plains home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Plains residents report their race to be White, followed by Native American. Important ancestries of people in Plains include German, Norwegian, Irish, Swedish, and English.
The most common language spoken in Plains is English. Other important languages spoken here include Italian and Spanish.
When you see a neighborhood for the first time, the most important thing is often the way it looks, like its homes and its setting. Some places look the same, but they only reveal their true character after living in them for a while because they contain a unique mix of occupational or cultural groups. This neighborhood is very unique in some important ways, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive exploration and analysis.
Unpopulated, and rural, the neighborhood is one of the least crowded neighborhoods in all of America. If you like open space, no traffic, and lots of room, this neighborhood may be just what you are looking for. According to NeighborhoodScout's leading research, this neighborhood is less densely populated than 98.4% of the neighborhoods in America. One of the notable things about is that it is one of the quietest neighborhoods in America, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis and quantitative rating of quietness. When you are here, you will find it to be very quiet. If quiet and peaceful are your cup of tea, you may have found a great place for you.
If your dream is to be able to ride your bike to work each day, look no further than this unique neighborhood. With 3.2% of residents in the neighborhood commuting on a bicycle to and from work daily, this neighborhood has more bicycle commuters than 96.2% of all neighborhoods in the U.S., according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis.
Did you know that the neighborhood has more Scots-Irish and Swedish ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 4.1% of this neighborhood's residents have Scots-Irish ancestry and 5.7% have Swedish ancestry.
How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.
The neighbors in the neighborhood in Plains are low income, making it among the lowest income neighborhoods in America. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 86.7% of U.S. neighborhoods. With 18.6% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 66.5% of U.S. neighborhoods.
The old saying "you are what you eat" is true. But it is also true that you are what you do for a living. The types of occupations your neighbors have shape their character, and together as a group, their collective occupations shape the culture of a place.
In the neighborhood, 30.8% of the working population is employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is executive, management, and professional occupations, with 28.7% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants (27.0%), and 11.9% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.
The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 96.8% of households. Some people also speak Italian (4.8%).
Culture is the shared learned behavior of peoples. Undeniably, different ethnicities and ancestries have different cultural traditions, and as a result, neighborhoods with concentrations of residents of one or another ethnicities or ancestries will express those cultures. It is what makes the North End in Boston so fun to visit for the Italian restaurants, bakeries, culture, and charm, and similarly, why people enjoy visiting Chinatown in San Francisco.
In the neighborhood in Plains, MT, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as German (22.2%). There are also a number of people of Irish ancestry (13.0%), and residents who report English roots (10.7%), and some of the residents are also of Norwegian ancestry (6.7%), along with some Swedish ancestry residents (5.7%), among others.
How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (54.0% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.
Here most residents (63.9%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors to get to work (10.7%) and 5.1% of residents also hop out the door and walk to work for their daily commute. In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.