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COMPARE Montana CITIES

Compare city quality of life facts and figures for three of the best places to retire in Montana.

Compare home prices, cost of living, air quality, medical care, water quality, demographics and more. Use the drop down box to make another state comparison.

blank	Great Falls	Missoula	Bigfork	99-City Avg
Montana Cities
City Type
City Type	Mountains, Lakes & Rivers, College Town	Mountains, Lakes & Rivers, College Town	Lakes & Rivers, Mountains	na
Population (2016 est.)
Population (Current)	59,178	72,364	4,270	78,040
Population (1990)	55,097	42,918	na	49,272
Land Area (sq mi)	22	28	6	36
Persons Per Square Mile	2,690	2,584	712	2,151
Home Prices
2018	$217,023	$304,636	$358,000	$419,000
Total Appreciation ('01 to '18)	101.7%	128.4%	123.2%	76.0%
Annual Appreciation ('17 to '18)	7.0%	7.1%	10.3%	6.0%
Avg Annual Appreciation ('01 to '18)	4.5%	5.3%	5.2%	3.8%
Big City Prices ('18)	$275,000	$245,000	$245,000	$340,000
Bargain Index	64%	101%	118%	101%
Big City	Boise	Spokane	Spokane	na
Monthly Rent	$1,058	$1,346	$1,215	$1,495
Price/Rent Index	13.8	15.2	19.8	19.0
Cost of Living (2018)
Cost of Living	77%	92%	95%	109%
Air Quality - Annual Avg (2001-2017)
Good Days	314	230	292	72%
Moderate Days	40	104	70	25%
Unhealthy for Sensitive Persons Days	2	15	2	3%
Unhealthy Days	1	4	1	0%
Very Unhealthy Days	0	2	0	0%
Water Quality (2002-2014)
Good	14%	22%	75%	36%
Threatened	0%	0%	14%	2%
Impaired	86%	78%	11%	62%
Walkability
Walk Score®	43	46	52	45
Nearest Large City
Distance to Nearest City	365 miles	199 miles	240 miles	72 miles
City	Spokane	Spokane	Spokane	na
Recreation
National Parks	1	3	1	7
National Campgrounds	10	36	29	26
State Parks	19	7	11	11
Medical Care (2016)
Accredited Hospitals	3	2	0	4
Building Permits (single family homes)
2016	48	223	187	346
2015	39	187	149	324
Gain ('15 to '16)	23%	19%	26%	6%
blank	Great Falls	Missoula	Bigfork	99-City Avg

blank	Great Falls	Missoula	Bigfork	99-City Avg
Population Distribution (2010)
Median Age (yrs)	39	31	51	37
White	88.5%	92.1%	96.1%	80.7%
Black or African American	1.1%	0.5%	0.5%	7.2%
Native American Indian and Alaska Native	5.0%	2.8%	0.6%	0.8%
Asian	0.9%	1.2%	0.4%	3.6%
Native Hawaiian	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%	0.2%
Other Race	0.6%	0.5%	0.6%	4.4%
Multiple Races	3.8%	2.8%	1.7%	3.0%
Hispanic or Latino	3.4%	2.9%	2.5%	11.6%
Income and Housing (2010)
Family Income	$53,156	$54,478	$69,522	$69,596
Occupied Housing	94%	95%	59%	83%
Vacant Housing	6%	5%	41%	17%
Home Ownership	63%	48%	74%	55%
Persons Per Family	2.92	2.80	2.70	2.90
Taxes (2018)
Local and State	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	6.8%
Local, State and Federal	101 days	101 days	101 days	113 days
Climate - Average Temperatures (1971-2000)
Climate Type	Cool & Dry	Cool & Dry	Cool & Dry	Temperate & Humid
January Low Temp	11 F	17 F	22 F	27 F
July High Temp	82 F	82 F	80 F	86 F
Annual Precipitation	15 in	17 in	22 in	35 in
Elevation	3,664 ft	3,420 ft	2,910 ft	1,652 ft
Natural Hazard Risk
Total Hazard Risk	Lower	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate
Earthquake	2%	15%	35%	10.9%
Tsunami	No Risk	No Risk	No Risk	No Risk
Hurricane	0	0	0	10
Flood	Moderate	Very High	High	Very High
Tornado	Very Low	Very Low	Very Low	Low
Volcano	No Risk	No Risk	No Risk	No Risk
Wildfire	High	High	High	Low
Man-Made Hazard Risk (Nuclear)
Nearby Reactors	0	0	0	2
Crimes per 10,000 Population - Annual Avg (2001-2017)
Violent Crimes	33	36	na	40
Property Crimes	531	438	na	397
Home Energy Use - Annual Avg (1971-2000)
Heating Degree Days	7,828	7,562	7,140	4,662
Cooling Degree Days	288	298	288	1,253
blank	Great Falls	Missoula	Bigfork	99-City Avg

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