Fort Shaw vs Great Falls
Fort Shaw, Montana versus Great Falls, Montana: a factual, side-by-side comparison of cost of living, housing, safety, schools, and climate. Greener figures rank better among US places.
Fort Shaw edges out Great Falls on overall objective livability (45 vs 41 of 100), though each leads on different factors below.
Factor-by-factor comparison
| Factor | Fort Shaw | Great Falls |
|---|---|---|
| Affordability | ||
| Median Household Income | — | $58k |
| Cost of Living | $53k | $47k |
| Home Value | — | $224k |
| Monthly Rent | — | $828 |
| Monthly Owner Costs | $53 | $17k |
| Property Tax Rate | — | 0.97% |
| Income Tax | 5.90% | 5.90% |
| Sales Tax | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Estimated total tax burden | — | 9.63% |
| Unemployment | 0.0% | 3.4% |
| Weather | ||
| Winter Temp (Jan) | 24°F | 25°F |
| Summer Temp (Jul) | 68°F | 68°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 12.3 in | 15.4 in |
| Annual Snowfall | 45.9 in | 66.1 in |
| Sunny Days | 244 days | 244 days |
| Summer Humidity | 44°F | 44°F |
| Comfortable Days | 48 days | 44 days |
| Safety & Wellbeing | ||
| Natural Disaster Risk | 84.6 | 65.2 |
| Air Quality | 50 AQI | 54 AQI |
| School Quality | 63.5 | 42.3 |
| Violent Crime | 374/100k | 1767/100k |
| Property Crime | 324/100k | 4484/100k |
| Community | ||
| Population | 163 | 60,373 |
| Median Age | 57.8 | 38.8 |
| Racial Diversity | 0.08 | 0.27 |
| Male/Female Ratio | 1.43 | 0.98 |
| Political Leaning | R+44 | R+20 |
| White (%) | 95.7% | 82.9% |
| Black (%) | 0.0% | 1.0% |
| Hispanic (%) | 0.0% | 5.4% |
| Asian (%) | 0.0% | 0.9% |
| Other / Multiracial (%) | 4.3% | 9.7% |
| Getting Around | ||
| Commute Time | — | 15 min |
| Walkability | 5.9/20 | 10.4/20 |
| Airport Distance | 266 mi | 291 mi |
| Lifestyle & Connectivity | ||
| Broadband Access | 63.8% | 85.6% |
| Amenities Nearby | 61.35 | 34.62 |
| Park & Nature Access | Limited | Limited |
Each figure is colored by how it ranks among all US places: green is strong, amber average, red weaker. Neutral factors (population, demographics, target-style climate) show their percentile without a better/worse claim.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Fort Shaw or Great Falls more affordable?
- Great Falls has the lower cost of living: its index is $47k, compared with Fort Shaw's $53k and Great Falls's $47k.
- Is Fort Shaw or Great Falls safer?
- Fort Shaw has the lower violent crime rate. Fort Shaw reports 374/100k and Great Falls reports 1767/100k (violent crimes per 100,000 residents).