StateRates

Great Falls salaries

The median worker in the Great Falls, MT metro area earned $44,770 a year in 2024, about $21.53 an hour. That ranks #272 of the 391 metro areas published here, 9.6% below the national median.

Montana

Median pay $44,770 $21.53 per hour
Vs national -9.6% U.S. $49,500
Workers 36,770 wage and salary
Metro rank #272 of 391 by median pay

What this labour market looks like

Great Falls pays 5.5% less than Montana as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.

Unusually concentrated here

Occupations against their national share, 2024
Occupation Concentration Employed Median
Cooks, Restaurant 1.58× 550 $35,570
Fast Food and Counter Workers 1.58× 1,420 $28,640
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 1.56× 540 $43,750
Nursing Assistants 1.53× 510 $38,200
Retail Salespersons 1.3× 1,180 $32,440
Registered Nurses 1.28× 1,000 $75,470
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 1.28× 670 $35,980
Office Clerks, General 1.27× 760 $42,400
Stockers and Order Fillers 1.26× 830 $35,480
Cashiers 1.08× 810 $29,240
Home Health and Personal Care Aides 0.82× 780 $28,990
General and Operations Managers 0.76× 650 $81,670

Best paid occupations

Highest median pay in Great Falls
Occupation Median Hourly Employed
Medical and Health Services Managers $99,150 $47.67 200
General and Operations Managers $81,670 $39.27 650
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters $76,170 $36.62 220
Registered Nurses $75,470 $36.29 1,000
First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $75,410 $36.25 200
Accountants and Auditors $73,350 $35.27 300
Business Operations Specialists, All Other $72,550 $34.88 280
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $71,990 $34.61 310
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $65,420 n/a 240
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $59,420 n/a 280
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $59,170 $28.45 280
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $57,060 $27.43 200
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $56,900 n/a 290
Carpenters $55,900 $26.88 320
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $53,790 $25.86 270
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $52,920 $25.44 450
Construction Laborers $49,750 $23.92 360
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $47,690 $22.93 360
Light Truck Drivers $46,790 $22.49 270
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $45,470 $21.86 350
Medical Assistants $44,460 $21.38 220
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $43,750 $21.04 540
Office Clerks, General $42,400 $20.39 760
Security Guards $41,480 $19.94 330
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $40,080 $19.27 320
Customer Service Representatives $39,480 $18.98 430
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants $39,000 $18.75 310
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand $38,870 $18.69 380
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $38,670 $18.59 400
Nursing Assistants $38,200 $18.36 510
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers $37,900 $18.22 230
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $35,980 $17.30 670
Cooks, Restaurant $35,570 $17.10 550
Stockers and Order Fillers $35,480 $17.06 830
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $34,000 $16.35 400
Retail Salespersons $32,440 $15.60 1,180
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary $31,250 n/a 300
Childcare Workers $29,940 $14.40 220
Food Preparation Workers $29,910 $14.38 210
Cashiers $29,240 $14.06 810
Home Health and Personal Care Aides $28,990 $13.94 780
Fast Food and Counter Workers $28,640 $13.77 1,420
Bartenders $22,450 $10.80 370
Waiters and Waitresses $22,420 $10.78 440

Where most people work

Largest occupations in Great Falls by employment
Occupation Employed Median Hourly
Fast Food and Counter Workers 1,420 $28,640 $13.77
Retail Salespersons 1,180 $32,440 $15.60
Registered Nurses 1,000 $75,470 $36.29
Stockers and Order Fillers 830 $35,480 $17.06
Cashiers 810 $29,240 $14.06
Home Health and Personal Care Aides 780 $28,990 $13.94
Office Clerks, General 760 $42,400 $20.39
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 670 $35,980 $17.30
General and Operations Managers 650 $81,670 $39.27
Cooks, Restaurant 550 $35,570 $17.10
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 540 $43,750 $21.04
Nursing Assistants 510 $38,200 $18.36
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 450 $52,920 $25.44
Waiters and Waitresses 440 $22,420 $10.78
Customer Service Representatives 430 $39,480 $18.98
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers 400 $38,670 $18.59
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 400 $34,000 $16.35
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 380 $38,870 $18.69
Bartenders 370 $22,450 $10.80
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers 360 $47,690 $22.93

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.

Other Montana metro areas

Great Falls pay: common questions

What is the average salary in Great Falls?

The median across all occupations is $44,770, or $21.53 an hour, covering 36,770 wage and salary workers. The mean is $53,960, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.

Does Great Falls pay more than the rest of Montana?

No. The metro median of $44,770 is 5.5% below the Montana median of $47,360. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.

Which jobs pay best in Great Falls?

Medical and Health Services Managers ($99,150), General and Operations Managers ($81,670), Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters ($76,170). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.

What is Great Falls unusually full of?

Cooks, Restaurant, at 1.58× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.