MISSOULA — You may have heard that over the past couple of years, tourism has become the number one industry in Montana. And with that, some may be curious to know, how much does tourism make up Missoula's economy? Well, it's quite a bit.
“I'd say we're probably at least 50-50 over the course of a year,” said Matt Muhsam, owner of Wordens.
(WATCH: How tourism is a significant driver of Missoula's local economy)
Matt Muhsam, owner of Wordens, says that while they may be able to make it without tourism because of his business’ legacy and local customer base, the summertime brings a boost.
“We easily double those numbers as we cruise through the season,” Muhsam said.
Melissa Weddell is the director for the University of Montana Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research.
She says that tourism in Montana, as a whole, is a key backbone to the economy.
“We welcomed in 2025 13.2 million visitors to Montana. You have to remember that we have a little over a million residents. So for every one resident, we get 13 visitors to the state. And that spending was $5.6 billion. So we are a major industry,” said Weddell.
While the exact number isn’t precisely known, what is known is that a significant amount of the $5.6 billion is funneled directly into Missoula businesses. Something that Chad Bauer, president and CEO of the Missoula Chamber of Commerce, says has real impacts.
“I would say, you know, probably it's the difference between businesses staying open and businesses closing,” said Bauer.
Businesses of all types see significant amounts of revenue from tourists, including Aimee McQuilkin, owner of Betty’s Divine.
“I'd say Tourism in the summer is what makes a lot of small businesses get through the very hard, quiet winter,” said McQuilkin.
Tourism has been increasing each year, both by the numbers and anecdotally, so if that continues, Missoula can expect continued growth of its economy.
