Missoula County, Montana: commercial real estate data.
Missoula County, Montana has a population of 120,672 across 2,593 square miles, up 3.9 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $9.09 bn in 2024, 4,816 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 115 7(a) approvals worth $49.8 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Missoula County
How many people live in Missoula County
- Population120,672
- Households52,679
- Average household size2.29
- Median household income$75,598
- Median age37.1
- Median gross rent$1,190 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$472,100
- Home value to household income6.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher47.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree18.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over83,214
- Population under 1821,937
- Share under 1818.2 percent
- Population 65 and over20,683
- Share 65 and over17.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6478,052
- Civilian labor force70,663
- Unemployment rate3.7 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over71.6 percent
- Rank by population among Montana counties3rd of 56
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents534th
Missoula County is the 3rd largest of 56 Montana counties by population. A median home costs 6.2 times median household income, which is a stretched ownership market and usually shows up as rental demand. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 18.2 percent against 17.1 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Missoula County
Is Missoula County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base3.92 percent
- Census 2020 base population117,928
- Births, 20241,133
- Deaths, 2024985
- Natural change, 2024148
- Net domestic migration, 2024625
- Net international migration, 202494
- Total net migration, 2024719
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20243,441
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents703rd
The county has grown 3.92 percent since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Missoula County
Where people moving to Missoula County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving3,995
- People arriving, from those returns6,023
- Adjusted gross income arriving$289.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$72,436
- Largest single originMissoula County Non-migrants (48,733 households)
- Largest single destination (48,733 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missoula County Non-migrants | 48,733 | 88,727 | $4.75 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 1,875 | 2,804 | $154.2 m |
| Other flows - West | 868 | 1,346 | $74.0 m |
| Other flows - South | 439 | 665 | $37.6 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 398 | 573 | $28.0 m |
| Ravalli County | 258 | 445 | $15.7 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 190 | 271 | $9.3 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 170 | 220 | $14.5 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Missoula County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Missoula County
What the Missoula County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$9.09 bn
- County GDP, 2023$8.51 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20246.8 percent
- GDP change over five years47.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among Montana counties3rd
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents481st
- GDP per resident$75,298
Output grew 6.8 percent in the latest year and 47.5 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Missoula County
Who employs people in Missoula County
- Covered employment, annual average65,649
- Establishments reporting6,882
- Average annual pay$59,583
- Average weekly wage$1,146
- Sector 62, employment11,091
- Sector 62, average annual pay$65,437
- Sector 44-45, employment8,821
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$42,478
- Sector 72, employment7,206
- Sector 72, average annual pay$27,545
- Sector 54, employment4,750
- Sector 54, average annual pay$95,980
- Sector 23, employment4,097
- Sector 56, employment2,793
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 11,091 | 724 | $65,437 |
| Sector 44-45 | 8,821 | 528 | $42,478 |
| Sector 72 | 7,206 | 381 | $27,545 |
| Sector 54 | 4,750 | 1,394 | $95,980 |
| Sector 23 | 4,097 | 672 | $71,228 |
| Sector 56 | 2,793 | 451 | $50,637 |
| Sector 81 | 2,637 | 637 | $43,546 |
| Sector 31-33 | 2,519 | 208 | $53,690 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 11,091 jobs, 16.9 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Missoula County
What businesses operate in Missoula County
- Establishments, all industries4,816
- Employment at those establishments54,136
- Annual payroll$2.74 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents39.9
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Missoula County
What is being built in Missoula County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024773
- Declared construction value permitted$179.8 m
- Single family units authorised380
- Multifamily units authorised393
- Multifamily share of units50.8 percent
- Average declared value per unit$232,570
- Units authorised per 1,000 households14.7
Multifamily is 50.8 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Missoula County
How much SBA lending happens in Missoula County
- 7(a) approvals recorded115
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$49.8 m
- Average 7(a) approval$433,407
- Median 7(a) approval$150,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,100,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)1,306
- Jobs per approval11.4
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active36
- Distinct industries receiving approvals69
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer10.4 percent
- Loans on real estate terms12
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter94
- Franchise loans17
- Franchise share of approvals14.8 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLimited-Service Restaurants (7)
- Most active lenderGlacier Bank (19)
- 504 approvals recorded62
- 504 gross approval dollars$42.7 m
- Average 504 approval$688,468
- Median 504 approval$361,000
- Distinct CDCs active6
- 504 jobs per approval9.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved13.1
- Most active CDCBig Sky Economic Development Corporation (28)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals65.0 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$92.5 m
The average approval of $433,407 sits well above the median of $150,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 10.4 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Missoula County
Do SBA loans in Missoula County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded20
- Paid in full18
- Charged off2
- Charge off rate on resolved loans10.0 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure77
- Status: Paid in full18
- Status: Cancelled14
- Status: Charged off2
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed4
Of the 20 loans that have reached a final outcome, 10.0 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Missoula County
Which parts of Missoula County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending7
- MISSOULA, approvals103
- FRENCHTOWN, approvals3
- Huson, approvals3
- LOLO, approvals3
- Florence, approvals1
- Clinton, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| MISSOULA | 103 | $45,963,100 |
| FRENCHTOWN | 3 | $2,500,000 |
| Huson | 3 | $775,200 |
| LOLO | 3 | $262,000 |
| Florence | 1 | $141,500 |
| Clinton | 1 | $150,000 |
| ARLEE | 1 | $50,000 |
MISSOULA accounts for 103 approvals against 3 in FRENCHTOWN. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Missoula County
How big is Missoula County
- Land area2,593 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Montana counties25th of 56
- Width, east to west70.5 mi
- Height, north to south66.9 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary7
- Residents per square mile of land47
- Establishments per square mile1.86
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Missoula County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Missoula County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population120,672
- Households52,679
- Average household size2.29
- Median household income$75,598
- Median age37.1
Common questions
Missoula County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Missoula County, Montana?
120,672, in 52,679 households, ranking 3rd of 56 Montana counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Missoula County growing?
The population has grown 3.92 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 1,133 births against 985 deaths, with net migration of 719. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Missoula County?
$75,598. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $472,100, which is 6.2 times income, and median gross rent is $1,190 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Missoula County?
4,816 establishments, employing 54,136 people with an annual payroll of $2.74 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Missoula County?
Average annual pay is $59,583, or $1,146 a week, across 65,649 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Missoula County?
115 7(a) approvals totalling $49.8 m since FY2020, across 36 lenders, with a median approval of $150,000, plus 62 504 approvals worth $42.7 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Missoula County get paid back?
Of the 20 loans that have reached a final outcome, 18 were paid in full and 2 charged off, a charge off rate of 10.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Missoula County?
773 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $179.8 m. Multifamily was 50.8 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Missoula County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Missoula County come from?
The largest single origin is Missoula County Non-migrants, with 48,733 households. Arriving households report an average income of $72,436 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Missoula County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Missoula County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.