Missoula Is the 20th Best-Run City in America 2026

Missoula, Mont., is the 20th best-run city in America, according to a new study by WalletHub comparing what 148 of the largest U.S. cities deliver to residents versus what each takes via tax dollars. The study included 36 metrics in six key categories: financial stability, education, health, safety, economy and infrastructure.

Local officials must balance competing community priorities with limited financial resources. This often means making difficult trade-offs—deciding which services are most essential, which departments should receive more or less funding, and whether taxes need to be adjusted.

“The best-run cities in America spend their tax dollars efficiently to provide high-quality financial security, education, health, safety and transportation to their residents,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. “Many of the top cities also have a very low amount of outstanding government debt per capita, which can prevent financial troubles in the future.”

In-Depth Look at Missoula

Missoula demonstrates that its a well-run city by registering the third-most household income growth in the country and the fourth-shortest average commute time. In addition, home values in the city have appreciated at the fourth-highest rate in the nation.

However, Missoula has room for improvement in other areas. For example, the city has the second-worst water quality. In addition, it ranks 125th for the underemployment rate for workers with a bachelors degree or higher.

How Missoula Ranks In Key Categories

• 121st for financial stability
• 14th for education
• 53rd for health
• 54th for safety
• 14th for the economy
• 53rd for infrastructure

This puts Missoula in 20th place out of the 148 cities in WalletHubs study.

Best-Run Cities in America

The methodology can be found on the full version of the article on WalletHub.