Missoula, MT vs Great Falls, 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: Missoula, MT leads with police at $2,547 per resident, while Great Falls, MT leads with parks and recreation at $1,064.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Missoula, MT at 14% of total revenue, whereas Great Falls, MT relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Missoula spends 60.0% 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 | $8 | $48 |
| Sales Tax | $218 | $595 |
| Income Tax | $55 | $882 |
| Intergovernmental | $885 | $10,814 |
| Charges & Fees | $74 | $2,342 |
| Other | $2,405 | $2,571 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,547 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $353 | $251 |
| Highways & Roads | $289 | $0 |
| Education | $31 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $809 | $755 |
| Health | $493 | $229 |
| Hospitals | $520 | $525 |
| Parks & Recreation | $464 | $1,064 |
| Housing | $3,124 | $1,988 |
| Sewerage | $129 | $0 |
| Utilities | $856 | $1,755 |
| Other | $4,238 | $2,089 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.