County · Montana

Cascade County, Montana

Cascade County, Montana has a quality-of-life score of 59 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #1,295 of 3,143 US counties. Within Montana it ranks #36 of 56 counties. It ranks best on dentists (high), arts, entertainment and recreation (high) and average commute time (low). It ranks worst on suicide rate (high), property crime rate (high) and firearm deaths (high).

59Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #1,295 of 3,143 counties
Montana: #36 of 56 in MT
Population: 85,029 (2025)
Land area: 2,698 mi²
Density: 31.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 30013

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 80 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map Federal contracts here

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.

Safety15#2,635/3,096
Economy62#1,183/3,143
Housing37#1,983/3,140
Health45#1,739/3,144
Healthcare61#1,225/3,143
Environment47#1,650/3,108
Education71#912/3,144
Infrastructure80#644/3,144
Community66#1,059/3,144
Leisure & amenities80#624/3,143

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Cascade County, Montana ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Dentists · high103 /100k
95/100Montana 75 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high11.6 /10k
94/100Montana 13.7 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Average commute time · low16.5 min
94/100Montana 19.1 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
High school diploma or higher · high94.4%
93/100Montana 94.6%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Mental health providers · high446 /100k
89/100Montana 435 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.5 µg/m³
87/100Montana 6.6 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Weaknesses

Suicide rate · high37.7 /100k
1/100Montana 30.3 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data
Property crime rate · high2,761 /100k
3/100Montana 1,449 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of Investigation
Firearm deaths · high22.4 /100k
6/100Montana 23.6 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data
Violent crime rate · high565 /100k
6/100Montana 419 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of Investigation
Median Air Quality Index · high50
7/100Montana 332023U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Comfortable days · low22.7%
8/100Montana 22.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information

Trends

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

Drug overdose deathsWorsening
9.1 /100k (2021) → 22.4 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
+146%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
High ozone daysImproving
1 days (2017) → 0 days (2022)
−100%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
26.7% (Dec 2021) → 41.0% (Aug 2026)
+14 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
New business applicationsImproving
7.3 /1k (2020) → 12.2 /1k (2025)
+67%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
77.0% (2015-2019) → 89.2% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median Air Quality IndexWorsening
33 (2018) → 50 (2023)
+52%5 years

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, Cascade County, Montana improved on 8 of 33 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 20 moved within the margin of error and 3 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among counties: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2020 with 2025); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved8

New businesses+67%7.3 /1k → 12.2 /1k
Weekly wage+28%$880 → $1,123
Broadband+12 points77.0% → 89.2%
Unemployment−2.5 points5.8% → 3.3%
Bachelor's++2.7 points25.7% → 28.4%

Declined2

Violent crime+25%451 /100k → 565 /100k
Price / income+0.3×3.6× → 3.9×

All 33 measures

Change of every measure of Cascade County, Montana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	11.5 /10k2020	11.6 /10k2025	+1.3%	Within the margin of error	40%
Average commute time	15.9 min2015-2019	16.5 min2020-2024	+0.7 min	Within the margin of error	43%
Average weekly wage	$8802020	$1,1232025	+28%	Improved	73%
Bachelor's degree or higher	25.7%2015-2019	28.4%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Improved	50%
Broadband subscriptions	77.0%2015-2019	89.2%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	67%
Child poverty rate	17.8%2019	13.1%2024	−4.7 points	Within the margin of error	87%
Distance to an airport	119 mi2020	119 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	16.6 /100k2020	22.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+35%	Within the margin of error	9%
Effective property tax rate	0.90%2015-2019	0.77%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	55%
Firearm deaths	24.9 /100k2020	22.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−10%	Within the margin of error	65%
Grocery stores	1.2 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	−21%	Within the margin of error	18%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.3 /10k2020	1.3 /10k2025	−0.7%	Within the margin of error	44%
High school diploma or higher	91.8%2015-2019	94.4%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Home price to income ratio	3.6×2015-2019	3.9×2020-2024	+0.3×	Declined	59%
Homicide rate	3.9 /100k2020	4.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+10%	Within the margin of error	15%
Income adjusted for local prices	$52,7412019	$65,9462024	+25%	Improved	13%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4722015-2019	0.4552020-2024	−0.017	Within the margin of error	79%
Median household income	$51,7322019	$63,9052024	+24%	Improved	43%
New business applications	7.3 /1k2020	12.2 /1k2025	+67%	Improved	75%
Pharmacies	1.3 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	−19%	Within the margin of error	26%
Poverty rate	14.2%2019	11.6%2024	−2.6 points	Within the margin of error	90%
Property crime rate	4,033 /100k2020	2,761 /100k2025	−32%	Improved	43%
Public libraries	0.5 /10k2019	0.5 /10k2024	−3.9%	Within the margin of error	31%
Public transit commuters	0.8%2015-2019	0.7%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Rent as share of income	28.7%2015-2019	27.3%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	71%
Rent-burdened households	47.0%2015-2019	44.3%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Restaurants and bars	12.6 /10k2020	11.4 /10k2025	−9.2%	Within the margin of error	27%
Students per teacher	14.9×2019	14.3×2024	−0.7×	Little change	50%
Suicide rate	33.2 /100k2020	37.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+14%	Within the margin of error	30%
Traffic deaths	11.0 /100k2015-2019	13.7 /100k2020-2024	+24%	Within the margin of error	29%
Unemployment rate	5.8%2020	3.3%2025	−2.5 points	Improved	49%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.7%2019	10.3%2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Violent crime rate	451 /100k2020	565 /100k2025	+25%	Declined	17%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 2303 counties 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; Small Area Health Insurance Estimates; Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Common Core of Data; 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 3144 counties 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.

Counties like Cascade County, Montana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Cascade County, Montana 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, Cascade County, Montana itself moved +1.3 points in standing on average over the same 32 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

84,606 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 50–59 women (−1.0 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

84,606 residents

Cascade County, Montana
Montana share

White82%69,694
Black1.3%1,102
Hispanic or Latino5.3%4,470
Asian1.0%841
American Indian and Alaska Native3.3%2,797
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%†5
Other or two or more races6.7%5,697

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−2.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

58,253 residents (±120)

Cascade County, Montana
Montana share

No high school diploma5.6%3,244
High school or GED32%18,820
Some college23%13,180
Associate degree11%6,451
Bachelor's degree18%10,460
Graduate degree10%6,098

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: No high school diploma (−2.7 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

35,615 households (±397)

Cascade County, Montana
Montana share

Under $25k16%5,742
$25k–50k21%7,527
$50k–75k18%6,329
$75k–100k15%5,235
$100k–150k16%5,557
$150k–200k7.5%2,668
$200k or more7.2%2,557

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−7.3 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

35,615 households (±397)

Cascade County, Montana
Montana share

Own69%24,408
Rent31%11,207

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+4.2 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

10,549 households (±584)

Cascade County, Montana
Montana share

Under $75031%3,260
$750–1,00026%2,713
$1,000–1,50030%3,129

Home values

24,408 homes (±547)

Cascade County, Montana
Montana share

Under $150k15%3,730
$150k–250k31%7,488
$250k–400k33%8,057

Age of homes

39,497 homes (±67)

Cascade County, Montana
Montana share

2010 or later8.4%3,308
2000–20099.2%3,619
1980–199917%6,591

Size of homes

39,497 homes (±67)

Cascade County, Montana
Montana share

Studio2.7%1,049
1 bedroom11%4,509
2 bedrooms26%10,459

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

40,504 workers (±824)

Cascade County, Montana
Montana share

Drive alone77%31,352
Carpool10%4,190
Public transit0.7%†280
Walk2.7%1,078
Bike0.7%†273
Work from home7.4%3,007
Other0.8%†324

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+3.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

37,497 workers (±856)

Cascade County, Montana
Montana share

Under 15 min50%18,907
15–29 min37%13,803
30–44 min7.2%2,709

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Great Falls, MT

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.

Cascade County has 2,472 employer establishments, 292 for every 10,000 residents (1.18× the US rate of 248; 0.78× Montana's), with 30,050 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,632. The Census Bureau also counts 5,799 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,472; 5,799 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 292; US 248 · Montana 376
Paid employees: 30,050
Average annual pay: $48,632; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	199	23.5	1.13×About typical	2,519	$86,685	253
Specialty trade contractors	176	20.8	1.34×More than typical	1,284	$76,878	440
Restaurants and other eating places	158	18.7	1.02×About typical	3,080	$21,294	24
Lessors of real estate	107	12.6	1.03×About typical	240	$42,567	730
Construction of buildings	100	11.8	1.56×More than typical	328	$72,762	216
Services to buildings and dwellings	75	8.9	1.31×More than typical	514	$35,018	246
Limited-service restaurants	72	8.5	1.06×About typical	1,547	$19,435	5
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	71	8.4	3.16×More than typical	746	$19,891	57
Legal services	68	8	1.49×More than typical	286	$79,514	45
Offices of other health practitioners	68	8	1.32×More than typical	357	$44,384	157
Automotive repair and maintenance	66	7.8	1.55×More than typical	374	$45,144	99
Religious organizations	61	7.2	1.30×More than typical	498	$21,956	—

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 84,623 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.
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 $162.6M on contracts performed in Cascade County, Montana: $1,912 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $162.6M; −44% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,912; US $1,994
Sole-source: 6.6%; US 30%
Single offer: 16%; 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

Department of the Army$112.3M69%
Department of the Air Force$18.3M11%
Defense Logistics Agency$12.6M7.7%
Agricultural Marketing Service$9.2M5.6%
Federal Aviation Administration$2.1M1.3%
Forest Service$1.9M1.2%
Indian Health Service$1.7M1.1%
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education$1.4M0.9%

Top recipients

ARCHER WESTERN FEDERAL JV$58.9M36%
ALEUT CONSTRUCTION LLC$26.4M16%
JACOBS GOVERNMENT SERVICES COMPANY$11.4M7.0%
TNL SALES LLC$10.9M6.7%
TETRA TECH, INC.$5.2M3.2%

Spending by fiscal year

55.6MFY2017
114.4MFY2018
77.7MFY2019
120.5MFY2020
99.1MFY2021
91.1MFY2022
211.2MFY2023
242.5M

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$90.1M55%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$24.6M15%
Bakeries and tortilla manufacturing · 3118$9.2M5.6%
Hardware manufacturing · 3325$3.3M2.0%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$3.1M1.9%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329

Largest awards

CONSTRUCTION OF WEAPONS STORAGE AND MAINTENANCE FACILITY AT MONTANA.$381.6M
ARCHER WESTERN FEDERAL JV· Cascade County, MT· Construction & real property· Jun 30, 2023 – Jun 12, 2026· W912DW23C0012
FY24 CONSTRUCT POL COMPLEX, GREAT FALLS, AIR NATIONAL GUARD, MONTANA$33.1M
MEB GENERAL CONTRACTORS INC· Cascade County, MT· Construction & real property· Sep 27, 2024 – Jun 12, 2026· W912DW24C0019
SOW-FY26 SENTINEL (1 MAY 2026) WILL BE PROVIDED AS AN ATTACHMENT.$30.4M
TETRA TECH, INC.· Cascade County, MT· Facilities & utilities· May 28, 2026 – May 28, 2026· W9128F26FA080
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL W912DW25R0009 FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE COMMERCIAL ENTRANCE CONTROL FACILITY, MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE (MAFB), MONTANA

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.

Explore contracts in Cascade County, Montana

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 $602.2M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Cascade County, Montana: $7,082 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $602.2M; −1.9% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,082; US $12,955
Loan face value: $868.9M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.5%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$329.6M55%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$110.6M18%

Public money & outcomes

Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.

How Cascade County, Montana compares: the federal money it received per resident, and how jobs, income, housing and other outcomes moved, each next to the United States.

Money per resident

By federal fiscal year (October to September, named by the year it ends), obligations per resident. A year with no record counts as $0.

Cascade County, Montana
United States
Year its money jumped
partial year

Federal contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Cascade County, Montana and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cascade County, Montana	United States
FY2017	$680	$1,436
FY2018	$1,399	$1,552
FY2019	$954	$1,654
FY2020	$1,428	$1,880
FY2021	$1,171	$1,810
FY2022	$1,073	$1,917
FY2023	$2,496	$2,079
FY2024	$2,865	$2,047
FY2025	$3,420	$2,165
FY2026	$1,912 (partial year)	$1,911

Construction contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Cascade County, Montana and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cascade County, Montana	United States
FY2017	$191	$93.28
FY2018	$446	$105
FY2019	$382	$128
FY2020	$792	$145
FY2021	$453	$117

Contracts and grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Cascade County, Montana and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cascade County, Montana	United States
FY2021	$2,098	$5,748
FY2022	$1,649	$5,221
FY2023	$3,023	$5,364
FY2024	$3,528	$5,501
FY2025	$3,838	$5,732
FY2026	$2,389

Transportation grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Cascade County, Montana and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cascade County, Montana	United States
FY2021	$476	$298
FY2022	$250	$357
FY2023	$186	$301
FY2024	$323	$319
FY2025	$231	$360
FY2026	$254

Housing assistanceUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Cascade County, Montana and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cascade County, Montana	United States
FY2021	$165	$239
FY2022	$168	$185
FY2023	$169	$229
FY2024	$180	$229
FY2025	$199	$249
FY2026	$162

HHS grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Cascade County, Montana and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cascade County, Montana	United States
FY2021	$229	$2,304
FY2022	$110	$2,197
FY2023	$136	$2,274
FY2024	$171	$2,267
FY2025	$40.34	$2,397
FY2026	$88.99

SBA lending volumeUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Cascade County, Montana and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cascade County, Montana	United States
FY2021	$869	$1,186
FY2022	$273	$465
FY2023	-$4.69	$76.52
FY2024	$174	$120
FY2025	$104	$148
FY2026	-$16.00

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)

How outcomes moved

Calendar years. Charts share the same years as the money above. Levels are shown as percent change since 2016; rates are shown as the rate itself.

Cascade County, Montana
United States
Years with money loaded
Year its money jumped

Job growthpercent

Table view

Job growth, Cascade County, Montana and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Cascade County, Montana	United States

When its money jumped

A county-year with at least 10,000 residents whose money per resident is at least twice its earlier average counts as a jump. Each is compared with up to five similar counties in the same region whose money did not jump.

Construction contracts · FY2018

$446 per resident in FY2018, against an earlier average of $191 (2.3× that).

Compared with 8 similar counties

Cascade County, Montana
Comparison counties (average)
Range of comparison counties

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Business Formation Statistics, Building Permits Survey, Cartographic Boundary Files, Gazetteer and metro delineations, Population Estimates Program, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission), Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System), Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordability. JSON · /api/v1/outcomes/places/30013

See all comparisons

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Cascade County, Montana is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Troy DowningR-MT-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 0.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

Metro area

The metro or micro area Cascade County belongs to. A county is in at most one.

Great Falls, MT57Central county

Cities and towns in Cascade County

Places whose residents live mostly in Cascade County, largest first.

Neighboring counties

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar counties

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
National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency · release v1.20.0
Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-03
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
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
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/30013

2014

−0.3%

2.0%

2015

−1.0%

2.1%

2016

1.2%

1.7%

2017

0.3%

1.4%

2018

0.0%

1.6%

2019

0.3%

1.4%

2020

−4.6%

−6.1%

2021

2.8%

3.4%

2022

3.6%

4.3%

2023

0.5%

2.1%

2024

0.6%

1.2%

2025

−0.9%

0.5%

Year

Cascade County, Montana

Comparison counties (average)

Range of comparison counties

Year −3

−8.2 points

−6.2 points

−7.1 points to −5.5 points

Year −2

−0.8 points

+1.3 points

−0.9 points to +3.4 points

Year −1

0.0 points

0.0 points to 0.0 points

Year 0

−3.1 points

−0.5 points

−2.6 points to +0.7 points

Year +1

−3.0 points

−0.8 points

−1.4 points to +0.1 points

Year +2

−4.5 points

Year

Cascade County, Montana

Comparison counties (average)

Range of comparison counties

Year −3

Year

Cascade County, Montana

Comparison counties (average)

Range of comparison counties

Year −3

Year

Cascade County, Montana

Comparison counties (average)

Range of comparison counties

Year −3

Calendar years	Cascade County, Montana	United States
2014	−6.0%	−4.2%
2015	−2.8%	−1.3%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+3.7%	+3.3%
2018	+6.8%	+6.8%
2019	+9.7%	+10.5%
2020	+17.5%	+19.4%
2021	+23.0%	+26.1%
2022	+32.8%	+30.6%
2023	+35.9%	+35.0%
2024	+42.3%	+41.0%
2025	+49.9%	+46.8%

Calendar years	Cascade County, Montana	United States
2014	−4.2%	−5.5%
2015	−1.5%	−1.9%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+3.6%	+4.1%
2018	+7.8%	+8.9%
2019	+10.4%	+13.5%
2020	+18.8%	+20.8%
2021	+29.8%	+32.1%
2022	+35.4%	+35.4%
2023	+42.0%	+42.9%
2024	+50.5%	+49.5%

Calendar years	Cascade County, Montana	United States
2014	5.6/1k	3.3/1k
2015	2.8/1k	3.7/1k
2016	3.0/1k	3.7/1k
2017	2.5/1k	3.9/1k
2018	1.8/1k	4.1/1k
2019	1.6/1k	4.2/1k
2020	1.8/1k	4.4/1k
2021	3.2/1k	5.2/1k
2022	6.4/1k	5.0/1k
2023	1.8/1k	4.5/1k
2024	2.6/1k	4.3/1k
2025	3.0/1k	4.2/1k

Calendar years	Cascade County, Montana	United States
2014	−5.9%	−6.9%
2015	+0.1%	−3.2%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+5.1%	+4.7%
2018	+9.8%	+7.5%
2019	+13.5%	+14.0%
2020	+17.1%	+16.9%
2021	+25.3%	+21.0%
2022	+29.9%	+29.7%
2023	+42.7%	+34.9%
2024	+40.2%	+41.6%

Calendar years	Cascade County, Montana	United States
2014	−6.4% (Dec 2014)	−10.8% (Dec 2014)
2015	−2.6% (Dec 2015)	−5.2% (Dec 2015)
2016	0.0% (Dec 2016)	0.0% (Dec 2016)
2017	+2.9% (Dec 2017)	+6.4% (Dec 2017)
2018	+7.8% (Dec 2018)	+12.6% (Dec 2018)
2019	+11.9% (Dec 2019)	+18.1% (Dec 2019)
2020	+21.3% (Dec 2020)	+29.3% (Dec 2020)
2021	+42.7% (Dec 2021)	+49.8% (Dec 2021)
2022	+59.8% (Dec 2022)	+64.7% (Dec 2022)
2023	+71.4% (Dec 2023)	+69.0% (Dec 2023)
2024	+82.8% (Dec 2024)	+73.4% (Dec 2024)
2025	+92.1% (Dec 2025)	+73.7% (Dec 2025)

Calendar years	Cascade County, Montana	United States
2014	4.3%	6.2%
2015	4.1%	5.3%
2016	4.1%	4.9%
2017	3.8%	4.4%
2018	3.6%	3.9%
2019	3.4%	3.7%
2020	5.8%	8.1%
2021	3.3%	5.4%
2022	2.6%	3.7%
2023	2.7%	3.6%
2024	3.0%	4.0%
2025	3.3%	4.3%

Calendar years	Cascade County, Montana	United States
2014	14.3%	15.5%
2015	14.4%	14.7%
2016	14.2%	14.0%
2017	11.9%	13.4%
2018	13.4%	13.1%
2019	14.2%	12.3%
2020	13.5%	11.9%
2021	13.0%	12.8%
2022	13.8%	12.6%
2023	12.1%	12.5%
2024	11.6%	12.1%

Calendar years	Cascade County, Montana	United States
2015	—	−3.3% (Dec 2015)
2016	—	0.0% (Dec 2016)
2017	— (Dec 2017)	+4.4% (Dec 2017)
2018	— (Dec 2018)	+8.8% (Dec 2018)
2019	— (Dec 2019)	+13.1% (Dec 2019)
2020	— (Dec 2020)	+15.2% (Dec 2020)
2021	— (Dec 2021)	+32.8% (Dec 2021)
2022	— (Dec 2022)	+42.1% (Dec 2022)
2023	— (Dec 2023)	+46.3% (Dec 2023)
2024	— (Dec 2024)	+50.4% (Dec 2024)
2025	— (Dec 2025)	+53.5% (Dec 2025)

Calendar years	Cascade County, Montana	United States
2014	15.6%	13.5%
2015	13.5%	10.9%
2016	10.2%	10.0%
2017	10.1%	10.2%
2018	9.3%	10.4%
2019	9.7%	10.8%
2020	10.5%	10.4%
2021	10.6%	10.2%
2022	11.0%	9.5%
2023	9.8%	9.5%
2024	10.3%	9.8%

Calendar years	Cascade County, Montana	United States
2014	6.4/1k	8.5/1k
2015	6.2/1k	8.7/1k
2016	6.2/1k	9.1/1k
2017	6.8/1k	9.8/1k
2018	7.3/1k	10.7/1k
2019	7.3/1k	10.6/1k
2020	7.3/1k	13.1/1k
2021	9.0/1k	16.2/1k
2022	9.6/1k	15.1/1k
2023	10.9/1k	16.2/1k
2024	10.9/1k	15.4/1k
2025	12.2/1k	16.6/1k

Year	Cascade County, Montana	Comparison counties (average)	Range of comparison counties
Year −3	−1.3 points	−0.1 points	−2.1 points to +1.6 points
Year −2	+0.9 points	+1.2 points	−0.5 points to +3.2 points
Year −1	0.0 points	0.0 points	0.0 points to 0.0 points
Year 0	−0.3 points	−0.3 points	−3.5 points to +3.9 points
Year +1	0.0 points	+0.4 points	−2.1 points to +1.8 points
Year +2	−4.9 points	−4.6 points	−10.4 points to +3.4 points

Year	Cascade County, Montana	Comparison counties (average)	Range of comparison counties
Year −3	+0.25 per 1,000 people	+0.15 per 1,000 people	−0.73 per 1,000 people to +1.74 per 1,000 people
Year −2	+0.46 per 1,000 people	+0.36 per 1,000 people	−0.69 per 1,000 people to +2.49 per 1,000 people
Year −1	0.00 per 1,000 people	0.00 per 1,000 people	0.00 per 1,000 people to 0.00 per 1,000 people
Year 0	−0.75 per 1,000 people	+0.86 per 1,000 people	−0.08 per 1,000 people to +2.29 per 1,000 people
Year +1	−0.86 per 1,000 people	+1.27 per 1,000 people	−0.11 per 1,000 people to +2.43 per 1,000 people
Year +2	−0.72 per 1,000 people	+2.13 per 1,000 people	+0.04 per 1,000 people to +4.56 per 1,000 people

Year	Cascade County, Montana	Comparison counties (average)	Range of comparison counties
Year −3	−8.2 points	−6.9 points	−9.2 points to −5.7 points
Year −2	−0.8 points	+0.3 points	−2.5 points to +1.7 points
Year −1	0.0 points	0.0 points	0.0 points to 0.0 points
Year 0	−3.1 points	+0.3 points	−0.7 points to +1.6 points
Year +1	−3.0 points	−1.7 points	−2.9 points to +0.2 points
Year +2	−4.5 points	−2.0 points	−4.1 points to +0.3 points

Year	Cascade County, Montana	Comparison counties (average)	Range of comparison counties
Year −3	−6.3%	−5.9%	−7.1% to −4.9%
Year −2	−3.6%	−4.0%	−6.1% to −2.9%
Year −1	0.0%	0.0%	0.0% to 0.0%
Year 0	+3.0%	+3.0%	+1.3% to +4.6%
Year +1	+5.8%	+7.0%	+4.2% to +8.6%
Year +2	+13.3%	+16.2%	+12.2% to +18.5%

Year	Cascade County, Montana	Comparison counties (average)	Range of comparison counties
Year −3	−5.0%	−5.0%	−5.9% to −4.3%
Year −2	−3.5%	−3.8%	−6.0% to −1.2%
Year −1	0.0%	0.0%	0.0% to 0.0%
Year 0	+4.0%	+3.0%	+1.0% to +5.4%
Year +1	+6.5%	+8.1%	+6.3% to +9.4%
Year +2	+14.6%	+16.9%	+14.7% to +22.0%

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved8

Declined2

Counties like Cascade County, Montana five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Getting to work

How people get to work

Time to 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

Public money & outcomes

Money per resident

How outcomes moved

When its money jumped

Compared with 8 similar counties

Representation in Congress

House

Senate

Metro area

Cities and towns in Cascade County

Neighboring counties

Similar counties

Data and sources

Improved8

Declined2

Age and sex

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Household income

Owners and renters

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

How people get to work

Time to get to work

House

Senate

Money per resident

How outcomes moved

When its money jumped

Compared with 8 similar counties

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

By type

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Compared with 16 similar counties

Compared with 5 similar counties

Compared with 11 similar counties

Jumps not compared

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)