Cascade County: stability, stability, stability.

• Author: Polzin, Paul E.
• Position: Statistical data

Great Falls continues as the dominant urban area in north central Montana. Local health care providers and other business people serve clients from Choteau and Shelby in the west to Glasgow and Jordan in the east. This broad market area, combined with the stability of the military, has meant that the Cascade County economy escaped most of the ups and downs associated with the Great Recession. On the other hand, this mix of basic industries has not led to robust economic growth. Most figures for 2012 show almost no increase, while the 2013 data report an increase of about 2.0 percent. This is the slowest two-year growth among Montana's urban areas.

Using nonfarm earnings as the measuring stick, federal military accounts for slightly less than one-half of the economic base. Malmstrom AFB accounts for most of this figure, but also included are the Montana Air National Guard and civilian contractors for the Department of Defense. This method probably overstates the true importance of Malmstrom because many service people patronize the base exchange and other on-base establishments, which have few connections to the local economy. Nevertheless, federal military continues as the largest single basic industry, and any cutbacks or closures would significantly impact the local economy.

Cascade County's economic base is diversifying. The aircraft maintenance and repair company located on Gore Hill continues to expand its operation. A new manufacturing company serving the oil sands development in northern Alberta is currently hiring workers and should begin production shortly. Other businesses have been recruited to Great Falls but have not yet shown up in the data. On the negative side, there was a sizable decline in construction between 2012 and 2013.

The Cascade County...