Great Falls, MT vs Missoula, MT
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Missoula, MT outspends Great Falls, MT by a wide margin per resident — $13,853 versus $8,656, a 60% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Missoula, MT holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 89/100 (grade A) against 54/100 (grade C) for Great Falls, MT — a 35-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Missoula, MT reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Great Falls, MT carries $1,490 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Great Falls, MT leads with parks and recreation at $1,064 per resident, while Missoula, MT leads with police at $2,547.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Great Falls, MT at 100% of total revenue, whereas Missoula, MT relies most on other revenue at 14%.
Summary
Missoula spends 37.5% more per capita than Great Falls ($5,196/person difference). Missoula, MT has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 89/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $48 | $8 |
| Sales Tax | $595 | $218 |
| Income Tax | $882 | $55 |
| Intergovernmental | $10,814 | $885 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,342 | $74 |
| Other | $2,571 | $2,405 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $2,547 |
| Fire Protection | $251 | $353 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $289 |
| Education | $0 | $31 |
| Public Welfare | $755 | $809 |
| Health | $229 | $493 |
| Hospitals | $525 | $520 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,064 | $464 |
| Housing | $1,988 | $3,124 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $129 |
| Utilities | $1,755 | $856 |
| Other | $2,089 | $4,238 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.