Great Falls, MT: Population, ZIP Codes & Nearby Cities

Great Falls is an incorporated city in Cascade County, Montana. In the dataset behind this page it has an estimated population of 65,131, sits at 47.502°N, 111.299°W, and observes Mountain time. Below you will find how it ranks inside Montana, which ZIP codes it uses, the closest places around it, and how far it is from major US cities.

What are the key facts about Great Falls, MT?

What is the population of Great Falls, MT?

Great Falls has an estimated population of 65,131. That makes it the 3rd largest of 360 places in Montana, placing it among the state's ten biggest, and the largest place in its county. The typical place in Montana has about 344 residents, so Great Falls is many dozens of times larger than a typical place in the state.

Estimates for places of this size carry wider margins of error than those for big cities, so treat the figure as a guide to scale. Our guide to understanding city population numbers explains why sources disagree.

Places in Montana with a similar population include Missoula (92,895), Bozeman (57,695), Helena (52,936), Kalispell (39,182), Butte (34,207). Comparing these pages is a quick way to see how Great Falls differs from communities of the same scale.

How dense is Great Falls?

Great Falls has about 2,543 people per square mile (982 per square kilometer), which we classify as suburban. Within Montana, it is denser than about 98% of the listed places. Land at this level is usually a mix of single-family neighborhoods, shopping corridors and parks, where driving is common but destinations are close. Read how to interpret population density to see how we draw these lines.

What ZIP codes does Great Falls use?

The postal data lists 4 ZIP codes for Great Falls: 59405, 59404, 59401, 59406. Several codes in one place usually reflect separate delivery areas, post offices or large buildings with their own code. Codes beginning with 5 are assigned to the Upper Midwest and northern Plains (Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, the Dakotas and Wisconsin). Learn more in our guide to how ZIP codes work or check any code with the ZIP code lookup.

What time zone is Great Falls in?

Great Falls is in the Mountain time zone, which is UTC−7 from Coordinated Universal Time in standard time (IANA zone America/Denver). The area observes daylight saving time, so clocks move forward in March and back in November. The nearest listed place in a different time zone is Sandpoint, ID, about 250 miles away, which gives a sense of how far the nearest zone boundary may be. Current local time: see the Mountain time hub. For the rules behind these zones, read US time zones explained.

Where is Great Falls located in Montana?

Great Falls lies in the central part of Montana, at 47.502° north latitude and 111.299° west longitude. The state capital, Helena, is about 71 miles to the southwest. The closest listed place in another state is Powell, WY, roughly 223 miles to the southeast, which shows how near Great Falls is to a state line. For big-city services, the nearest place with more than 100,000 people is Billings, MT, 176 miles to the southeast.

Which cities are near Great Falls, MT?

The closest listed place to Great Falls is Helena Valley Southeast, MT, 67.7 miles to the southwest. Of the eight nearest places below, 0 are in the same county. Distances are straight-line (great-circle) miles measured between place centers; see how distance is calculated.

Which county is Great Falls in?

Great Falls is in Cascade County, which has the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code 30013. The county contains 15 places in our data, 1 of which have their own page here and 14 smaller communities that appear only in county and state lists. Other places in the county include Malmstrom AFB (4,179), Sun Prairie (1,717), Black Eagle (923), Vaughn (807), Cascade (679). Codes like this one help separate places that share a name; see the guide to counties and FIPS codes.

How far is Great Falls from major US cities?

Among six major hubs, Great Falls is closest to Denver, CO at about 623 miles and farthest from New York, NY at about 1,893 miles in a straight line. Road distances are usually 10 to 30 percent longer. Try the distance calculator for any other pair.

Are there other places called Great Falls?

Yes. Our data lists 2 other places named Great Falls: Great Falls, VA (14,872), Great Falls, SC (1,877). When you search for Great Falls, add the state or county so you land on the right one. This page covers the Great Falls in Cascade County, Montana.

Planning a move to Great Falls?

If you are weighing Great Falls, start with the practical numbers: how far it is from where you live, whether it changes your time zone, and how its size and density compare with your current city. Use the distance calculator to measure the trip from where you live. The radius search tool lists every place within any distance of it. Our checklist for comparing cities explains what to check next.

Where to go next

Population and density come from a compiled dataset and are estimates. They may differ from official Census Bureau counts. Verify important figures at census.gov.