Tourism Report: Flathead County Records Highest Annual Nonresident Spending in Montana
According to a two-year average captured in 2022 and 2023, annual statewide spending by nonresident visitors totaled $5.82 billion, including $1 billion in Flathead County; at nearly $2 billion, more than one third of all tourist spending was concentrated in the Glacier Country travel region
By Tristan ScottTourists spent more money in Flathead County than anywhere else in Montana, according to a two-year estimate by University of Montana economists, who reported more than $1 billion in annual nonresident spending between 2022 and 2023 in the Flathead Valley and nearly $2 billion across the Glacier Country travel region.
Spending in Glacier Country accounted for more than one third of all nonresident spending in Montana, ranking 11 percentage points above second-place Yellowstone Country, where tourists spent $1.3 billion, according to the same two-year average.
That’s little surprise to anyone who’s been tracking nonresident visitation trends, which for the past 15 years in Montana have been concentrated in gateway communities near Glacier and Yellowstone national parks. The findings emphasized that much of the spending is concentrated in Glacier Country and Yellowstone Country, which together account for 57% of all nonresident travel expenditures.
“It doesn’t surprise me that Glacier Country has a high portion of the spending, because we all know that Glacier Country overall tends to get a lot of visitor traffic,” said Kara Grau, assistant director of economic analysis at the University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research (ITRR). Grau is the author of the new report, which is based on a two-year average of visitors’ spending patterns across each of Montana’s six travel regions, as well as 19 of the state’s 56 counties with the highest spending.
Based on information gleaned from nonresident visitors at neutral survey locations across the state, such as gas stations, rest areas and airports, Glacier and Yellowstone travel regions received the highest percentage of nonresident traveler spending with 34% and 23%, respectively, Grau said.
“Glacier and Yellowstone country always have the two highest percentages of nonresident visitor spending anywhere in the state, and they’ve often traded places at the top of the list. But this report does show a wider split between the two than usual, with Glacier outpacing Yellowstone,” Grau said. However, because the report is based on a two-year average of spending patterns spanning 2022 and 2023, Grau speculated that the dip in spending in Yellowstone Country could be a spillover effect from the Yellowstone River flooding in June 2022.
The report highlights how tourism supports local economies, with spending driving business revenues, employment, and tax contributions. It says the $1 billion in local spending directly supported $778.9 million of economic activity in Flathead County, and supported an additional $630.6 million of economic activity, indirectly.
“Over two-year averages, the data shows strong visitor spending in Montana. While spending patterns shift slightly across the state, regions and communities near popular national parks consistently receive the most nonresident travel spending. However, all parts of Montana benefit from travelers visiting or passing through,” according to Grau.
Nonresident Spending Estimates by Region:
Glacier Country
- Total Nonresident Spending: $1.95 billion
Yellowstone Country
- Total Nonresident Spending: $1.36 billion
Southwest Montana
- Total Nonresident Spending: $886.6 million
Southeast Montana
- Total Nonresident Spending: $819 million
Central Montana
- Total Nonresident Spending: $535 million
Missouri River Country
- Total Nonresident Spending: $261.7 million
Check out the ITRR’s new interactive dashboard to explore more specific region and county spending data.