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Columbia Falls, Montana

city · Flathead County

At a glance

5,615
Population
$384,400
Median home value (all homes)
27% above U.S. median
$614,519
Typical market value
Zillow, 2026-07
$1,016/mo
Median rent
25% below U.S. median
$75,766
Median household income
4% below U.S. median
19.8 min
Average commute
91.2%
Homes with broadband
57.77%
Locations with fiber available
5.6%
Unemployment

Cost of living (Clay Affordability Index)

CAI 103 — 3% above the national average. how it's computed

Housing44% above
Goods & services5% below
Utilities27% below
Taxes60% below
Insurance14% below
Commute cost27% below
For business: Montana is CBII band 3/5 · time to build band 3/5. See state page for the breakdown.

Living here

Nearest 4-year college54 mi
Nearest community college12 mi
Nearest technical college13 mi
High school graduates91.2%
College graduates32.1%

Doing business here

Economic development contacts, most local first:

city Montana West Economic Development
Montana West Economic Development is a private, non-profit organization serving Northwest Montana that promotes economic diversity, job growth, and healthy businesses by supporting entrepreneurs with loans, deals, and access to shovel-ready sites and related resources.
state Montana Business Assistance Connection
MBAC is a non-profit economic development organization in Helena that helps businesses start up, improve, expand, relocate, or transition to new ownership, offering loans, incubator space, sites, development technical assistance, and market information.
state Montana Department of Commerce
Montana Department of Commerce supports innovative industries to grow businesses locally, state-wide and internationally, strengthening Montana's economy and creating job opportunities for hard-working Montanans. Commerce also encourages existing companies to relocate to Montana and enjoy the benefits of doing business under the Big Sky.
state Montana Eco Developers Association
The Montana Economic Developers Association (MEDA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit formed to connect economic developers and partners to grow Montana’s economy through education, advocacy, and collaboration.
state NorthWestern Energy Economic Development
NorthWestern Energy's Economic Development team works to retain existing jobs, promote business expansion, and recruit new businesses in the Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska service area, partnering with local and statewide economic development entities and community, state, and national leaders.
State sales taxNone
State income taxYes
Right-to-work stateNo

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