NAICS 23

Construction in Great Falls, MT

Metro Market Score 73.0 (Difficult), ranked #334 of 342 metros. 350 establishments, 2,607 jobs.

Metro Market Score 73.0

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national construction average.

Great Falls's construction sector saw employment decline over the past year (growth trend: 10.8). That contraction, combined with a 73.0 market score, puts this metro in the bottom 10% for market conditions. Understand why the local market is shrinking before committing.

Industry Concentration

85.1

LQ: 1.36

Rank #291 of 342 metros

Wage Competitiveness

62.0

$75,152 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 10.8

Employment growth index

Rank #306 of 342 metros

Wage Pressure

47.6

YoY wage change index

350 Construction Firms in Great Falls

350

Establishments

-4.6% YoY

2,607

Total Employment

-4.5% YoY

$75,152

Average Annual Wage

+10.1% YoY

1.36

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Montana

#4 of 4

construction metros in state

Montana state rank

#28 of 51

for construction entry risk

vs State Median

+3.2

worse than median (69.9)

Great Falls vs Montana Statewide

How this metro's construction market compares to Montana overall. The state ranks #28/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Great Falls	MT Statewide
Overall Score	73.0 Difficult	45.0 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#334 of 342 metros	#28 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Great Falls

Information 20.1 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 24.5 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 29.8 Finance and Insurance 49.9 Administrative and Support Services 52.5 Accommodation and Food Services 53.7 Other Services 62.2 Healthcare and Social Assistance 68.1 Retail Trade 78.9

Construction in Other Montana Metros

Missoula 47.4 #167/342 Helena 48.8 #177/342 Bozeman 69.9 #329/342

Construction Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Great Falls's 73.0 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Barnstable Town, MA 72.9 #333/342 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI 73.3 #335/342 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 73.5 #336/342 Napa, CA 73.6 #337/342 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 74.5 #338/342 Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA 71.4 #332/342 Worcester, MA 70.7 #331/342 Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV 70.5 #330/342 Elizabethtown, KY 75.7 #339/342 Bozeman, MT 69.9 #329/342

Construction in States Bordering Montana

State-level entry risk for construction in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

South Dakota 34.7 #9/51 North Dakota 58.3 #47/51 Idaho 58.4 #48/51 Wyoming 59.3 #49/51

Browse Construction in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for construction across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Great Falls's construction sector, the employment growth component (89.2) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Great Falls, MT MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment