PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Missoula, MT

35.2
Life Score / 100
D
Grade (curved)
#369
of 387 metros
5%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Missoula ranks #369 of 387 US metros, ahead of 5% - carried by its environment (60/100) and held back most by schools (9/100).

60
strongest: Environment
42
then: Rent
9
weakest: Schools
7
weighted dimensions

Where Missoula sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

35 5th percentile higher than 5% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). This entry sits in this band. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Above this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Missoula Life Score

Missoula's composite score of 35.2 out of 100, a grade of D, places the metro at rank #369 of 387, ahead of 5% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Environment (60/100) and Rent (42/100), which pull the composite upward, while Schools (9/100) and Safety (24/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 96.4 (rent-RPP 94.9). BLS median salary $63,132, 60,010 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Home Health and Personal Care Aides). HUD 2BR FMR $1,361/mo (studio $941).

FBI UCR (MT): 426 violent, 1646 property/100K. NCES: 11.8:1 ratio, 0.0% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,466/yr. EPA: 19 Superfund sites (MT). Ranks #366-#372 below.

Dimension detail

How Missoula scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 36/100 (20%)
Wages 38/100 (20%)
Rent 42/100 (15%)
Safety 24/100 (15%)
Schools 9/100 (10%)
Childcare 35/100 (10%)
Environment 60/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

96.4
Cost Index (RPP)
$63,132
Avg Median Salary
$1,361
2BR Fair Market Rent
426
Violent Crime/100K (MT)
11.8:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$11,466
Infant Childcare/yr (MT)
19
Superfund Sites (MT)
60,010
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Missoula With...

Missoula vs Billings Compare → Missoula vs Helena Compare → Missoula vs Great Falls Compare → Missoula vs Wildwood Compare → Missoula vs Waterloo Compare → Missoula vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Missoula outranks 5% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#366 Billings, MT 35.6 D
#367 Santa Fe, NM 35.7 D
#368 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR 35.7 D
#369 Missoula, MT 35.2 D
#370 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ 35.1 D
#371 Colorado Springs, CO 34.8 D
#372 Flagstaff, AZ 34.5 D

MT Metro Scores

Billings, MT D 35.6 Helena, MT D 34.0 Great Falls, MT F 30.6 Bozeman, MT F 26.0

Using Missoula's Life Score

Missoula is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is environment (60/100) and its weakest is schools (9/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Missoula head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Missoula lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Missoula's biggest strengths? ▼
Missoula's strongest dimensions are Environment (60/100), Rent (42/100), Wages (38/100).
What are Missoula's weakest areas? ▼
Missoula's lowest-scoring dimensions are Schools (9/100), Safety (24/100), Childcare (35/100). Schools weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Missoula compared to the national average? ▼
Missoula's Regional Price Parity is 96.4 (3.6% less than national); rent RPP 94.9.
What is the average salary in Missoula? ▼
Missoula median salary: $63,132, 60,010 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Home Health and Personal Care Aides.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Missoula's 35.2/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.