Cascade County, MT

County

Add Comparison

2024 Population

84,606

US Senator

Steve Daines

Republican Party

US Senator

Tim Sheehy

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

38.6

0.783% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

13.1%

1% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$67,690

2.25% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$265,300

9.04% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

38,558

0.29% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Cascade County, MT reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99% of the residents in Cascade County, MT are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Cascade County, MT are University of Providence (530 degrees awarded in 2023), Great Falls College Montana State University (243 degrees), and Montana Academy of Salons (93 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Cascade County, MT was $265,300, and the homeownership rate was 68.5%.

Most people in Cascade County, MT drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 16.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Cascade County, MT was 2 cars per household.

Cascade County, MT borders Chouteau County, MT, Judith Basin County, MT, Lewis and Clark County, MT, Meagher County, MT, and Teton County, MT.

United States Montana Great Falls, MT

Population & Diversity

Cascade County, MT is home to a population of 84.6k people, from which 99% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.25% of Cascade County, MT residents were born outside of the country (1.91k people).

In 2024, there were 17.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (69.7k people) in Cascade County, MT than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.93k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 2.8k American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99%

2024 Citizenship

99.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99% of Cascade County, MT residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Cascade County, MT was 99.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Cascade County, MT compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Cascade County, MT

White (Non-Hispanic)
69.7k ± 498
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
3.93k ± 409
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
2.8k ± 337

5.28%

Hispanic Population

4.47k people

5.28% of the people in Cascade County, MT are hispanic (4.47k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Cascade County, MT as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Montana.

Most Common Origin

Canada
3,832 ± 1,517 people
Mexico
2,638 ± 1,259 people
Germany
1,932 ± 1,078 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Montana was Canada, the natal country of 3,832 Montana residents, followed by Mexico with 2,638 and Germany with 1,932.

Foreign-Born Population

2.25%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.91k people

1.94%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.64k people

As of 2024, 2.25% of Cascade County, MT residents (1.91k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Cascade County, MT was 1.94%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Cascade County, MT compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
3,143 ± 398
Vietnam
2,067 ± 268
Gulf War (1990s)
1,237 ± 230

Cascade County, MT has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.52 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Cascade County, MT.

Economy

The economy of Cascade County, MT employs 38.6k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Cascade County, MT were Health Care & Social Assistance (6,458 people), Retail Trade (4,959 people), and Educational Services (3,643 people), and the highest paying industries were Public Administration ($60,258), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($59,803), and Utilities ($56,591).

Employment

Occupations

38.6k

2024 Value

± 1,463

−0.29%

1 Year decline

± 5.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Cascade County, MT declined at a rate of −0.29%, from 38.7k employees to 38.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Cascade County, MT, are Management Occupations (4,597 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (4,266 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (3,667 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Cascade County, MT.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Montana.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Montana (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

38.6k

2024 Value

± 1,463

−0.29%

1 Year decline

± 5.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Cascade County, MT declined at a rate of −0.29%, from 38.7k employees to 38.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Cascade County, MT, are Health Care & Social Assistance (6,458 people), Retail Trade (4,959 people), and Educational Services (3,643 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Cascade County, MT, though some of these residents may live in Cascade County, MT and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,366

Median earning men ± $1,849

$37,625

Median earning women ± $1,476

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($67,750), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($62,635), and Public Administration ($61,250).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($56,713), Wholesale Trade ($49,650), and Manufacturing ($48,854).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Montana.

Y-Axis

2.24%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 508k people employed in Montana. This represents a 2.24% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 11.8%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Montana.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

196
Construction
143
Other Services (except Public Administration)
143
Health Care and Social Assistance

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$439k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$166k
Retail Trade
$147k
Construction

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Montana went to Donald J. Trump with 58.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.96%).

Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy are the senators currently representing the state of Montana. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Montana is currently represented by 2 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Cascade County, MT. Showing the available data for Montana.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (58.4%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (38.5%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (1.96%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Montana went to Donald J. Trump with 58.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.96%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Montana for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Montana

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Montana.

Steve Daines

Senator from Montana

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

Tim Sheehy

Senator from Montana

Assumed office on January 3, 2025

Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy are the senators currently representing Montana.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Montana over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2023, universities in Cascade County, MT awarded 866 degrees. The student population of Cascade County, MT in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 649 male students and 1,493 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Cascade County, MT are White (659 and 76.1%), Unknown (40 and 4.62%), Hispanic or Latino (39 and 4.5%), and Asian (38 and 4.39%).

The largest universities in Cascade County, MT by number of degrees awarded are University of Providence (530 and 61.2%), Great Falls College Montana State University (243 and 28.1%), and Montana Academy of Salons (93 and 10.7%).

The most popular majors in Cascade County, MT are Missionary Studies & Missiology (199 and 23%), Registered Nursing (124 and 14.3%), and Welding Technology (62 and 7.16%).

The median tuition cost in Cascade County, MT for private four year colleges is $28,618.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Cascade County, MT, the percentage of applicants admitted was 64.2%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 55.8%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 2,142 (30.3% men and 69.7% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 2,142 students enrolled in Cascade County, MT, 30.3% men and 69.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,637 records, of which 71.1% were women and 28.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Missionary Studies & Missiology
199 degrees awarded
Community Health & Preventative Medicine
1 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Postbaccalaureate Certificate recipients in Cascade County, MT was Substance Abuse Counseling with 0 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Postbaccalaureate Certificate from schools in Cascade County, MT according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

University of Providence
530 degrees awarded
Great Falls College Montana State University
243 degrees awarded
Montana Academy of Salons
93 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Providence with 530 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 220 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Cascade County, MT, which is 0.341 times less than the 646 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 659 degrees mean that there were 16.5 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 40 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($28,618) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($957) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,400) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Cascade County, MT was $265,300 in 2024, which is 0.797 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $243,300 to $265,300, a 9.04% increase. The homeownership rate in Cascade County, MT is 68.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Cascade County, MT have an average commute time of 16.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Cascade County, MT is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 12.3% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Cascade County, MT. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.603%.

Housing

Property

$265,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$7,950

$24,408

Median Property Taxes

±$1,052

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Cascade County, MT the largest share of households pay taxes in the $2k - $3k range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Cascade County, MT compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

68.5%

Homeownership

2024

69.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 68.5% of the housing units in Cascade County, MT were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 70.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Cascade County, MT compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$67,690

Median Household Income

± $2,796

35.6k

Number of Households

± 1,334

In 2024, the median household income of the 35.6k households in Cascade County, MT grew to $67,690 from the previous year's value of $66,203.

The following chart displays the households in Cascade County, MT distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Cascade County, MT is from Montana.

0.46

2023 Wage GINI in Montana

0.463

2022 Wage GINI in Montana

In 2023, the income inequality in Montana was 0.46 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.635% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Montana was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Montana in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Montana across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (77.4%)
Carpooled (10.3%)
Worked At Home (7.42%)

In 2024, 77.4% of workers in Cascade County, MT drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.3%) and those who worked at home (7.42%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

16.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Cascade County, MT have a shorter commute time (16.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.18% of the workforce in Cascade County, MT have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Cascade County, MT compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Cascade County, MT distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Cascade County, MT have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 12.3% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Cascade County, MT. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.603%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

13.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Cascade County, MT (10.8k out of 82.4k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Cascade County, MT is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 12.7% of the children was living in poverty in Cascade County, MT. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 13.8%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 241 in Cascade County, MT. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 2.88 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

93% of the population of Cascade County, MT has health coverage, with 35.5% on employee plans, 19.2% on Medicaid, 13% on Medicare, 18.3% on non-group plans, and 6.94% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Cascade County, MT see 1,341 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,341 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1048 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 246 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.8% were men and 50.2% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,341 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Cascade County, MT

Primary care physicians in Cascade County, MT see an average of 1,341 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,341 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Cascade County, MT in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.4% under 18 years, 19.9% between 18 and 34 years, 35.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 20% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.8% were men and 50.2% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

7.04%

Uninsured

35.5%

Employer Coverage

19.2%

Medicaid

13%

Medicare

18.3%

Non-Group

6.94%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Cascade County, MT grew by 4.63% from 6.73% to 7.04%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Cascade County, MT changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 61.4 in Cascade County, MT.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Cascade County, MT.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 35.6% in Cascade County, MT.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Cascade County, MT.