Missoula, MT

Missoula city had a 2023 population estimate of 77,757 and a median household income of $65,329, while Missoula County had 121,849 people and a median household income of $71,246 (Census city^[1], Census county^[2]). Montana has no general sales tax, and AARP’s state tax guide says the state income tax has two brackets at 4.7% and 5.9% (AARP Montana tax guide^[3]). Missoula County says residential homes are taxed at 1.35% of assessed value and that county tax bills also fund city, school, and special-district levies, so a comfortable move-in-ready single-family home for this buyer profile generally lands around the upper end of the local mid-market, about $600,000 to $750,000 (Missoula County budget^[4], Missoula County property taxes^[5]).

Missoula County’s public health materials point residents to Fire.AirNow.gov and county health updates, and the county’s healthcare ecosystem is anchored by the local hospital market rather than a large multi-campus metro system (Missoula County health news^[6]). Missoula is served by the University of Montana as a training and community-health anchor, but drive times, trauma level, and a complete specialist inventory are not given here. Residents typically compare local Medicare Advantage offerings on Medicare.gov’s plan finder, but the exact plan lineup in Missoula is not given here.

NOAA’s climate normals page is the correct source for annual and seasonal temperature and precipitation statistics, but Missoula’s station values are not given here in the snippet, so specific annual precipitation, sunny-days count, and summer/winter averages cannot be stated from the material alone (NOAA climate normals^[7]). The National Weather Service page shows current Missoula daily climate reporting and indicates that the area has distinct summer and shoulder-season weather swings (NWS Missoula climate^[8]). Missoula County public-health updates also note wildfire smoke can affect local air quality even when fires are far away and can persist through summer and fall, which is important for seasonal comfort (Missoula wildfire smoke^[9]).

A third-party crime summary is mentioned, but FBI Crime Data Explorer reporting is not given here. Violent-crime and property-crime rates, and a three-year trend, for Missoula Police Department or Missoula County are not given here. In other words, the agency reporting status and exact trend still need direct confirmation from the FBI CDE before using any number in a move decision.

Missoula city listings had a median list price of $677,167 in September 2026, with a median of 65 days on market and a year-over-year median sale-price decline of 8.2% in the city market (Zillow^[10]) (Redfin^[11]). At the county level, the median sale price was $575,524 over the three months ending August 2026, and homes sold after 72 days on market, down 3.4% year over year (Redfin^[12]). Missoula also has multiple age-restricted or active-adult options, including a city Active Adults program, The Hogan, Affinity at Missoula, and several 55+ communities and senior housing properties in the area (City of Missoula^[13]) (The Hogan^[14]) (Affinity at Missoula^[15]) (Homes.com senior community listings^[16]).

Exact drive time from central Missoula and verified nonstop routes to Midwest and East Coast hubs for Missoula Montana Airport are not given here. For planning, the relevant airport to verify is Missoula Montana Airport, but the airport-travel numbers should be checked on an official FAA or airport page before relying on them. An unverified airport time or route list is not given here.

The number of public courses within 30 minutes and greens fees from the clubs themselves are not given here. What is clear is that Missoula County emphasizes outdoor living and wildfire-season air quality is a recurring consideration, which affects shoulder-season hiking, biking, and water recreation as much as golf (Missoula wildfire smoke^[9]). For a retiree, the practical advantage is that the area offers a strong year-round recreation mix, but the golf-specific details should be verified on each club’s official site before planning membership or regular play.

Census QuickFacts shows Missoula city had 77,757 residents in 2023, a median household income of $65,329, and 14.6% of residents age 65 and over (Census city^[1]). Missoula County had 121,849 residents, a median household income of $71,246, and 17.6% age 65 and over (Census county^[2]). Missoula’s walkability and downtown character are not directly quantified here, but its university presence, riverfront access, and compact core suggest a retiree-friendly, amenity-rich small city.

Wildfire smoke can persist through summer and fall in Missoula County, and local air quality can range from good to unhealthy during smoke events (Missoula wildfire smoke^[9], Missoula County air-quality news^[17]). Missoula County’s FEMA National Risk Index composite score and ranked hazards are not given here. EPA/AirNow annual-good-days data are not given here, and smoke season is a material planning issue.