Valley County, Montana: commercial real estate data.
Valley County, Montana has a population of 7,519 across 4,926 square miles, down 1.9 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $394.0 m in 2024, 276 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 14 7(a) approvals worth $1.4 m.
110 sourced county values · tier FULL · 10 sections
Valley County
How many people live in Valley County
- Population7,519
- Households2,951
- Average household size2.55
- Median household income$71,695
- Median age44.3
- Median gross rent$767 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$198,400
- Home value to household income2.8 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income12.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher25.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over5,369
- Population under 181,679
- Share under 1822.3 percent
- Population 65 and over1,843
- Share 65 and over24.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 643,997
- Civilian labor force3,755
- Unemployment rate3.0 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over64.3 percent
- Rank by population among Montana counties29th of 56
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2689th
Valley County is the 29th largest of 56 Montana counties by population. A median home costs 2.8 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 24.5 percent against 22.3 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Valley County
Is Valley County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-1.93 percent
- Census 2020 base population7,580
- Births, 202487
- Deaths, 2024119
- Natural change, 2024-32
- Net domestic migration, 2024-16
- Net international migration, 20247
- Total net migration, 2024-9
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-87
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2483rd
The county has lost 1.93 percent of its population since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Valley County
Where people moving to Valley County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving162
- People arriving, from those returns268
- Adjusted gross income arriving$12.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$75,747
- Largest single originValley County Non-migrants (2,844 households)
- Largest single destination (2,844 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley County Non-migrants | 2,844 | 5,779 | $204.3 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 83 | 131 | $5.3 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 79 | 137 | $6.9 m |
| Other flows - West | 31 | 52 | $3.7 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 26 | 51 | $1.4 m |
| Other flows - South | 22 | 34 | $1.9 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Valley 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.
Valley County
What the Valley County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$394.0 m
- County GDP, 2023$397.7 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-0.9 percent
- GDP change over five years16.9 percent
- Rank by GDP among Montana counties29th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2554th
- GDP per resident$52,399
Output grew -0.9 percent in the latest year and 16.9 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.
Valley County
Who employs people in Valley County
- Covered employment, annual average2,918
- Establishments reporting354
- Average annual pay$49,648
- Average weekly wage$955
- Sector 72, employment333
- Sector 72, average annual pay$20,684
- Sector 44-45, employment302
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$34,448
- Sector 42, employment141
- Sector 42, average annual pay$72,361
- Sector 56, employment110
- Sector 56, average annual pay$55,543
- Sector 52, employment100
- Sector 23, employment98
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 72 | 333 | 32 | $20,684 |
| Sector 44-45 | 302 | 44 | $34,448 |
| Sector 42 | 141 | 14 | $72,361 |
| Sector 56 | 110 | 13 | $55,543 |
| Sector 52 | 100 | 17 | $67,658 |
| Sector 23 | 98 | 40 | $52,450 |
| Sector 54 | 78 | 21 | $73,376 |
| Sector 81 | 72 | 25 | $28,547 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 333 jobs, 11.4 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.
Valley County
What businesses operate in Valley County
- Establishments, all industries276
- Employment at those establishments2,183
- Annual payroll$100.2 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents36.7
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.
Valley County
What is being built in Valley County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$0
- Single family units authorised0
- Multifamily units authorised0
No residential units were authorised by permit in 2024. In a small county this is common and is not by itself a sign of distress, but it does mean there is no recent residential pipeline to read demand from.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Valley County
How much SBA lending happens in Valley County
- 7(a) approvals recorded14
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$1.4 m
- Average 7(a) approval$102,743
- Median 7(a) approval$50,000
- 10th percentile approval$20,200
- 90th percentile approval$250,200
- Largest single approval$370,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)56
- Jobs per approval4.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active3
- Distinct industries receiving approvals12
- Median 7(a) term72 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer14.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms2
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter12
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countBoat Dealers (2)
- Most active lenderBank of Bridger National Association (11)
- 504 approvals recorded1
- 504 gross approval dollars$137,000
- Average 504 approval$137,000
- Median 504 approval$137,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval0.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved0.0
- Most active CDCBig Sky Economic Development Corporation (1)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals93.3 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$1.6 m
The average approval of $102,743 sits well above the median of $50,000, 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 14.3 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.
Valley County
Do SBA loans in Valley County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded4
- Paid in full4
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure9
- Status: Paid in full4
- Status: Cancelled1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 4 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Valley County
How big is Valley County
- Land area4,926 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Montana counties6th of 56
- Width, east to west73.9 mi
- Height, north to south92.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land2
- Establishments per square mile0.06
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 Valley 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 Valley County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population7,519
- Households2,951
- Average household size2.55
- Median household income$71,695
- Median age44.3
Common questions
Valley County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Valley County, Montana?
7,519, in 2,951 households, ranking 29th of 56 Montana counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Valley County growing?
The population has fallen 1.93 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 87 births against 119 deaths, with net migration of -9. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Valley County?
$71,695. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $198,400, which is 2.8 times income, and median gross rent is $767 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Valley County?
276 establishments, employing 2,183 people with an annual payroll of $100.2 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Valley County?
Average annual pay is $49,648, or $955 a week, across 2,918 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Valley County?
14 7(a) approvals totalling $1.4 m since FY2020, across 3 lenders, with a median approval of $50,000, plus 1 504 approvals worth $137,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Valley County?
No residential units were authorised by permit in 2024. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Valley 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 Valley County come from?
The largest single origin is Valley County Non-migrants, with 2,844 households. Arriving households report an average income of $75,747 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 Valley 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 Valley 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.