Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety28#662/924
Economy94#59/925
Housing27#676/925
Health78#207/925
Healthcare58#386/923
Environment26#683/917
Education92#78/925
Infrastructure94#60/925
Community92#73/925
Leisure & amenities96#42/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Kalispell, MT micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

New business applications · high75.6 /1k
100/100Montana 26.1 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Distance to an airport · low9 mi
98/100Montana 53 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high13.3 /10k
98/100Montana 13.7 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
High school diploma or higher · high95.5%
96/100Montana 94.6%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Physical inactivity · low18.1%
96/100Montana 21.9%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Food insecurity · low10.7%
95/100Montana 12.4%United States 15.6%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Home price to income ratio · high7.2×
3/100Montana 5.2×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Comfortable days · low22.3%
4/100Montana 22.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.0 µg/m³
8/100Montana 6.6 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Suicide rate · high27.3 /100k
9/100Montana 30.3 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Firearm deaths · high24.6 /100k
11/100Montana 23.6 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Pharmacies · low0.9 /10k
11/100Montana 1.3 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
104,873 (2020) → 115,429 (2025)
+10%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
New business applicationsImproving
23.3 /1k (2020) → 75.6 /1k (2025)
+224%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Drought exposureImproving
57% (2021) → 23% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−34 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Hot daysWorsening
1 days (2011-2020) → 1 days (2016-2025)
+140%5 yearsUS 41 days → 42 days
Homicide rateWorsening
2.7 /100k (2021) → 4.5 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+67%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
69.2% (2010 & 2021) → 81.2% (2022 & 2024)
+12 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Kalispell, MT micropolitan area improved on 12 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 9. 6 moved within the margin of error and 4 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved12

New businesses+224%23.3 /1k → 75.6 /1k
Real income+48%$54,375 → $80,598
Bachelor's++6.2 points31.0% → 37.2%
Weekly wage+32%$882 → $1,165
Child poverty−5.5 points14.6% → 9.1%

Declined9

Price / income+2.4×4.9× → 7.2×
Libraries−27%0.5 /10k → 0.3 /10k
Overdose deaths+54%11.4 /100k → 17.6 /100k
Restaurants−14%14.5 /10k → 12.5 /10k
Uninsured+1.9 points10.6% → 12.5%

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Kalispell, MT micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	13.2 /10k2020	13.3 /10k2025	+1.4%	Little change	33%
Average commute time	19.6 min2015-2019	19.6 min2020-2024	+0.0 min	Within the margin of error	64%
Average weekly wage	$8822020	$1,1652025	+32%	Improved	97%
Bachelor's degree or higher	31.0%2015-2019	37.2%2020-2024	+6.2 points	Improved	97%
Broadband subscriptions	84.0%2015-2019	91.2%2020-2024	+7.2 points	Improved	26%
Child poverty rate	14.6%2015-2019	9.1%2020-2024	−5.5 points	Improved	80%
Distance to an airport	9 mi2020	9 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	11.4 /100k2020	17.6 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+54%	Declined	8%
Effective property tax rate	0.72%2015-2019	0.54%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	70%
Firearm deaths	22.9 /100k2020	24.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+7.4%	Declined	37%
Grocery stores	2.0 /10k2020	1.7 /10k2025	−13%	Declined	18%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.5 /10k2020	1.8 /10k2025	+19%	Improved	69%
High school diploma or higher	94.7%2015-2019	95.5%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	22%
Home price to income ratio	4.9×2015-2019	7.2×2020-2024	+2.4×	Declined	0%
Homicide rate	6.1 /100k2020	4.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−26%	Improved	51%
Income adjusted for local prices	$54,3752019	$80,5982024	+48%	Improved	97%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4582015-2019	0.4572020-2024	−0.002	Within the margin of error	60%
Median household income	$56,1822015-2019	$73,9252020-2024	+32%	Improved	73%
New business applications	23.3 /1k2020	75.6 /1k2025	+224%	Improved	99%
Pharmacies	1.0 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	−17%	Declined	26%
Poverty rate	10.9%2015-2019	9.3%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Property crime rate	1,517 /100k2020	1,094 /100k2025	−28%	Improved	37%
Public libraries	0.5 /10k2019	0.3 /10k2024	−27%	Declined	2%
Rent as share of income	28.3%2015-2019	30.2%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Rent-burdened households	45.1%2015-2019	50.7%2020-2024	+5.6 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Restaurants and bars	14.5 /10k2020	12.5 /10k2025	−14%	Declined	7%
Suicide rate	29.6 /100k2020	27.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−7.8%	Improved	75%
Traffic deaths	14.0 /100k2015-2019	19.5 /100k2020-2024	+40%	Declined	11%
Unemployment rate	7.1%2020	3.5%2025	−3.6 points	Improved	68%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.6%2015-2019	12.5%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Declined	9%
Violent crime rate	304 /100k2020	304 /100k2025	−0.1%	Little change	26%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Kalispell, MT micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Kalispell, MT micropolitan area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Kalispell, MT micropolitan area itself moved −3.7 points in standing on average over the same 30 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

110,695 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

44,233 households (±567)

Kalispell, MT micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k14%6,295
$25k–50k19%8,506
$50k–75k17%7,665

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

44,233 households (±567)

Kalispell, MT micropolitan area
United States share

Own72%32,008
Rent28%12,225

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

53,461 workers (±916)

Kalispell, MT micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone72%38,250
Carpool7.7%4,099
Public transit0.1%†73

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes no occupation wages for Kalispell, MT micropolitan area.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Kalispell, MT has 5,092 employer establishments, 449 for every 10,000 residents (1.81× the US rate of 248), with 45,165 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,608. The Census Bureau also counts 15,107 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 5,092; 15,107 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 449; US 248
Paid employees: 45,165
Average annual pay: $51,608; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Kalispell, MT by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	638	56.3	3.63×More than typical	3,074	$59,126	1,345
Construction of buildings	370	32.6	4.32×More than typical	1,162	$58,838	1,074
Ambulatory health care services	333	29.4	1.41×More than typical	2,792	$68,641	601
Lessors of real estate	331	29.2	2.37×More than typical	827	$45,318	2,211
Restaurants and other eating places	253	22.3	1.21×About typical	4,631	$24,017	39
Services to buildings and dwellings	204	18	2.67×More than typical	653	$46,309	1,002
Building equipment contractors	201	17.7	2.95×More than typical	1,379	$60,898	142
Real estate agents and brokers	173	15.3	3.14×More than typical	197	$61,640	479
Building finishing contractors	172	15.2	3.99×More than typical	664	$49,886	517
Offices of other health practitioners	149	13.1	2.16×More than typical	562	$46,726	383
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	140	12.3	3.92×More than typical	549	$60,576	222
Other specialty trade contractors	125	11	4.39×More than typical	482	$65,133	464

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 113,381 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $66.3M on contracts performed in Kalispell, MT micropolitan area: $575 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $66.3M; +54% vs FY2025
Per resident: $575; US $1,994
Sole-source: 18%; US 30%
Single offer: 19%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Forest Service$15.9M24%
Transportation Security Administration$14.3M22%
Bureau of Reclamation$9.5M14%
Department of Energy$9M14%
Federal Emergency Management Agency$5.5M8.3%
National Park Service$2.7M4.1%
Department of the Army$2.4M3.6%
Department of the Air Force$2M3.1%

Top recipients

NOMAD GLOBAL COMMUNICATION SOLUTIONS, INCORPORATED$17.8M27%
JOHNSON SECURITY BUREAU, INC$14.3M22%
BURKE ELECTRIC, L.L.C.$8.9M13%
BIG LAKE 2 LLC$2M2.9%
ALTERNATIVE STAFFING CORPORATION$1.3M2.0%

Spending by fiscal year

25.2MFY2017
61.2MFY2018
53.6MFY2019
68.1MFY2020
67.3MFY2021
90.8MFY2022
53.7MFY2023
63.7M

Top industries (NAICS)

Motor vehicle body and trailer manufacturing · 3362$17.7M27%
Investigation and security services · 5616$14.4M22%
Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$8.9M13%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$8.3M13%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$3.2M4.8%
Other schools and instruction · 6116$2M

Largest awards

TASK ORDER FOR COMPREHENSIVE SECURITY SCREENING SERVICES AND REQUIRED DELIVERABLES AT EIGHT AIRPORTS ACROSS THE STATE OF MONTANA IN SUPPORT OF THE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION SCREENING PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.$37.9M
JOHNSON SECURITY BUREAU, INC· Flathead County, MT· Facilities & utilities· Apr 29, 2024 – Sep 2, 2026· 70T05024F5900N005
NFIP DIRECT TRANSITION AND STEADY STATE SUPPORT$37.8M
TORRENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.· Flathead County, MT· Education & social services· Mar 26, 2021 – May 27, 2026· 70FA6021F00000014
CONSTRUCTION SERVICES FOR PROJECT MT NP GLAC 14(6), SWIFTCURRENT SPUR ROAD REHABILITATION. THIS WORK CONSISTS OF PAVEMENT REHABILITATION, NEW PAVEMENT SECTION IS THREE PARKING LOTS, 8 CULVERT REPLACEMENTS, SIGNAGE, STRIPPING, CAMPGROUND LOOP ROAD SYS$12.8M
MISSOURI RIVER CONTRACTORS, LLC· Flathead County, MT· Construction & real property

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $818.2M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Kalispell, MT micropolitan area: $7,088 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $818.2M; −11% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,088; US $12,955
Loan face value: $84.9M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.8%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$530.4M65%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$94.6M12%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$40.3M4.9%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$38.5M4.7%
57.001 · Social Insurance for Railroad Workers$18.5M2.3%
20.279 · National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)$12.7M1.6%
20.933 · National Infrastructure Investments$9.2M1.1%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$8.4M1.0%

Top recipients (organizations)

MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$21.4M2.6%
HELENA, MT
CITY OF COLUMBIA FALLS INC$9.2M1.1%
COLUMBIA FALLS, MT
CONFEDERATED SALISH AND KOOTENAI TRIBES OF THE FLATHEAD RESERVATION$7.7M0.9%
PABLO, MT
STATE OF MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES$7M0.9%
HELENA, MT
FLATHEAD MUNICIPAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$617.5M75%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$105.6M13%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$30.6M3.7%
Department of Transportation
Railroad Retirement Board$18.5M2.3%
Under Secretary for Health/Veterans Health Administration$7.6M0.9%

Assistance by fiscal year

665.1MFY2021
692MFY2022
748.5MFY2023
816.2MFY2024
914.8MFY2025
818.2MFY2026

County aggregates

91%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Kalispell, MT

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Flathead CountyCentral county76115,429

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

KalispellPrincipal city28,504

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Montana

Areas based in Montana, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M28060

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved12

Declined9

Metro and micro areas like Kalispell, MT micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Kalispell, MT

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Montana

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved12

Declined9

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought