Physical, compliance, and capital-execution pressure reflected in the blended headline composite.
States / Montana
Montana
Statewide Munimetric profile for Montana, covering drinking-water market scores, signal activity, infrastructure stress context, and population insights across 38 scored service markets serving approximately 600,886 people. This state profile highlights what is happening and why it matters using water-system, fiscal, capital, and signal context.
Montana has an average MISI infrastructure stress score of 19.2/100 in the Stable band as of 2026-05-17. Public records summarize recent drinking-water violations, PFAS monitoring records, lead and copper context, and source-water mix across 38 covered systems. Updated May 2026.
National context
States sized by scored-market count. Color reflects average stress band.
38Markets scored
19.2Headline composite
~601KPop. served
149Active signals
Band distribution (MISI)
State headline composite
Component of current headline composite
Affordability, demand-base, and parent-government fiscal pressure reflected in the blended headline composite.
Staleness, disclosure freshness, and reporting-visibility effects reflected in the blended headline composite.
Hardin City of41.6fragileGlendive City of36.4watchMiles City City of31.5watchPolson City of30.7watchWolf Point City of30.0watchHavre City of29.7watchMalmstrom Air Force Base29.3watchLaurel Municipal Water System27.3watchWest Yellowstone Town of27.1watchButte Silverbow Water Dept26.4watchRiver Rock County Water and Sewer Dist26.2watchCo Water Dist of Billings Heights24.9watchBig Sky County Water and Sewer Dist 36324.5watchLibby City of23.2watchBillings City of22.9watchGreat Falls City of22.4watchMountain Water Company21.4watchHelena Water System19.5stableHamilton City of18.1stableDillon City of17.0stableSidney City of16.8stableAnaconda Water Department16.4stableBozeman City of16.4stableShelby City of15.8stableKalispell Public Works15.1stableFlathead County Water and Sewer15.0stableLockwood Water and Sewer District14.8stableColumbia Falls City of14.3stableLewistown City of14.3stableLivingston City of13.1stableTown of Browning8.8stableMontana State University Billings7.6stableRocky Mountain College7.6stableBelgrade City of5.9stableMontana State University Bozeman5.9stableWhitefish City of5.4stableUniversity of Montana5.4stableQuartz Flat Rest Stop West0.0stableHardin City of41.6fragileGlendive City of36.4watchMiles City City of31.5watchPolson City of30.7watchWolf Point City of30.0watchHavre City of29.7watchMalmstrom Air Force Base29.3watchLaurel Municipal Water System27.3watchWest Yellowstone Town of27.1watchButte Silverbow Water Dept26.4watchRiver Rock County Water and Sewer Dist26.2watchCo Water Dist of Billings Heights24.9watchBig Sky County Water and Sewer Dist 36324.5watchLibby City of23.2watchBillings City of22.9watchGreat Falls City of22.4watchMountain Water Company21.4watchHelena Water System19.5stableHamilton City of18.1stableDillon City of17.0stableSidney City of16.8stableAnaconda Water Department16.4stableBozeman City of16.4stableShelby City of15.8stableKalispell Public Works15.1stableFlathead County Water and Sewer15.0stableLockwood Water and Sewer District14.8stableColumbia Falls City of14.3stableLewistown City of14.3stableLivingston City of13.1stableTown of Browning8.8stableMontana State University Billings7.6stableRocky Mountain College7.6stableBelgrade City of5.9stableMontana State University Bozeman5.9stableWhitefish City of5.4stableUniversity of Montana5.4stableQuartz Flat Rest Stop West0.0stable
State interpretation guide
How to read Montana headline composite
Plain-language summary
Montana currently shows an average MISI headline composite of 19.2 versus a national average of 25.0. In v0.1.2, the headline composite remains a blended structural stress measure rather than a pure physical-condition index. A frozen national reference and a 50 percent single-factor cap reduce the dominance of near-universal and very rare factors, while the component bars continue to separate infrastructure, socioeconomic, and observability readings.
Why this page stands out
- 38 scored systems are included in this state view, with explicit confidence and source-backed context.
- State posture is benchmarked against national averages, not evaluated in isolation.
- Top system links below connect state-level findings directly to profile-level diagnostics.
What to do next
- Review the executive context to understand the state-level pressure pattern.
- Open top system profiles to inspect what is actually driving stress at market level.
- Use Track to monitor changes in high-stress systems over time.
Public record layer
Statewide Water Quality Context
Stored public-record context for recent drinking-water violations, contaminant monitoring, and source-water mix across covered systems. This is not a tap-water safety determination and does not change the MISI score.
Systems with recent violations
15 of 38Systems with recent public violation rows.Source-water mix38 systems
- Surface water19
- Groundwater19
- Purchased water0
- Mixed source0
- Not stored0
Latest identity snapshot: Dec 31, 2025
Coverage
- Violation, enforcement, and compliance-burden counts use the recent 3 years window for dated stored records.
- Drinking-water identity snapshots are stored for 32 of 38 included scored systems.
- PFAS monitoring summary records are stored for 31 of 38 included systems; missing records are not treated as non-detections.
- Lead and copper summary records are stored for 32 of 38 included systems; missing records are not treated as absence of lead/copper context.
Water quality questionsDefinitions and public-record context
- How many covered systems in Montana have recent recorded drinking-water violations?
- Stored public records show 15 covered systems with recent drinking-water violations, with 65 recorded violations across 38 covered systems in the recent 3 years window.
- How does Munimetric summarize PFAS public-record context in Montana?
- Stored contaminant-monitoring summaries are present for 31 covered systems; 20 systems have PFAS detection context in this state summary.
- How does Munimetric summarize lead & copper context in Montana?
- Stored lead & copper summaries are present for 32 covered systems; 20 systems have violation or action-level context in this state summary.
- What source-water types are represented across covered Montana systems?
- Stored identity records group covered Montana systems by source-water type: Surface water: 19, Groundwater: 19.
- Where can I find official drinking-water records for Montana?
- The Official records drawer lists Public drinking-water profile, Contaminant monitoring records links where currently available for Montana.
- Is this a real-time statewide tap-water condition rating?
- No. This is not a real-time tap-water condition determination. Munimetric summarizes stored public-record context for research and navigation, and this layer does not change MISI.
Official records
- Public drinking-water profileEPA ECHO: Federal drinking-water dashboard and public-record search entry point.
- Contaminant monitoring recordsEPA UCMR: Federal contaminant-monitoring program reference and public data entry point.
Methodology/source notes
- Methodology/source notesDisplayed from stored public drinking-water records and official program references. This layer does not change MISI.
- Enforcement historyEPA ECHO / SDWIS: Violation and enforcement counts are aggregated from stored public compliance records across covered systems.
- Contaminant monitoring recordsEPA UCMR: PFAS context uses stored contaminant-monitoring summaries where available; missing records are not treated as non-detections.
- State drinking-water programOfficial link not currently stored for this state program mapping.
Top recent compliance-burden systemsRecent 3 years
| System | Population | Source water | Recent violations | Recent enforcement | Public-record flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Havre City OfMT0000524 | 9,921 | Surface water | 10 | 50 | recent violations recorded, recent enforcement history, recent monitoring/reporting failures, PFAS detections in stored records, lead/copper context |
| River Rock County Water And Sewer DistMT0004082 | 4,200 | Groundwater | 10 | 34 | recent violations recorded, recent enforcement history, recent monitoring/reporting failures, lead/copper context |
| Malmstrom Air Force BaseMT0000515 | 8,850 | Surface water | 8 | 16 | recent violations recorded, recent enforcement history, recent monitoring/reporting failures, PFAS detections in stored records, lead/copper context |
| Miles City City OfMT0000291 | 9,565 | Surface water | 6 | 28 | recent violations recorded, recent enforcement history, recent monitoring/reporting failures, PFAS detections in stored records, lead/copper context |
| Butte Silverbow Water DeptMT0000170 | 33,000 | Surface water | 6 | 9 | recent violations recorded, recent enforcement history, recent monitoring/reporting failures, lead/copper context |
| Polson City OfMT0000308 | 5,300 | Groundwater | 4 | 10 | recent violations recorded, recent enforcement history, recent monitoring/reporting failures, lead/copper context |
| Co Water Dist Of Billings HeightsMT0000155 | 12,000 | Surface water | 4 | 10 | recent violations recorded, recent enforcement history, recent monitoring/reporting failures, PFAS detections in stored records |
| Hardin City OfMT0000235 | 3,500 | Surface water | 4 | 8 | recent violations recorded, recent enforcement history, recent monitoring/reporting failures, PFAS detections in stored records, lead/copper context |
This is not a real-time tap-water condition determination. For current advisories or health guidance, consult the utility or state drinking-water program.
Executive context
What This Page Shows
38 of the community drinking-water systems in Montana are currently scored. Analytics below are calculated from this covered subset only. Covered systems serve approximately 601K people.
What the Data Suggests
Montana has 38 scored service markets in the Munimetric coverage set, covering roughly 600,886 residents in total. At the latest reading, the state-level average lands at 19.2 out of 100, indicating limited signs of structural stress in aggregate. A relatively small share — roughly 3% — currently sit in elevated-stress bands.
Across state markets, Operational Stress (9.6 points average) and Capex Pressure (7.7) are the leading contributors to headline stress. The relatively close spacing suggests pressure is spread across more than one dimension.
149 active signals are recorded across state markets. The most prevalent is Climate Hazard Exposure, affecting 31 markets.
State-level average stress has been relatively steady between recent observation periods, suggesting the current picture reflects persistent conditions rather than a sudden shift.
This summary is based on structured, source-backed public data and is intended for research and monitoring only. It is not investment advice, a credit opinion, or municipal advisory guidance.
Recent Movement
Latest average MISI is 19.2 as of May 17, 2026. Movement since May 10, 2026 is flat.
Compact summary from 41 stored state observations.
State Family Contribution Summary
Operational Stress9.6 / 20.0
Capex Pressure7.7 / 20.0
Governance Risk1.0 / 20.0
Revenue Fragility0.8 / 20.0
Rate Constraint0.2 / 20.0
Signals
Signal Frequency
| Signal | Severity | Markets affected | % of scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Climate Hazard Exposure | medium | 31 | 82% |
| Current Drought Severity | high | 27 | 71% |
| PFAS Contamination Risk | high | 20 | 53% |
| Lead & Copper Rule Risk | high | 20 | 53% |
| Compliance Escalation | high | 20 | 53% |
| Parent-Government Fiscal Stress | medium | 9 | 24% |
| High-AGI Out-Migration | high | 7 | 18% |
| Monitoring / Reporting Failures | medium | 7 | 18% |
| Population Served Decline | medium | 3 | 8% |
| Utility Data Staleness | high | 2 | 5% |
| Income Erosion | low | 2 | 5% |
| Infrastructure Capital Gap | medium | 1 | 3% |
Markets
Top Markets
| # | Market | Score | Band | Population | Signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hardin City of | 41.6 | Fragile | 4K | 9 |
| 2 | Glendive City of | 36.4 | Watch | 5K | 9 |
| 3 | Miles City City of | 31.5 | Watch | 10K | 6 |
| 4 | Polson City of | 30.7 | Watch | 5K | 5 |
| 5 | Wolf Point City of | 30.0 | Watch | 0 | 8 |
| 6 | Havre City of | 29.7 | Watch | 10K | 6 |
| 7 | Malmstrom Air Force Base | 29.3 | Watch | 9K | 5 |
| 8 | Laurel Municipal Water System | 27.3 | Watch | 6K | 5 |
| 9 | West Yellowstone Town of | 27.1 | Watch | 10K | 6 |
| 10 | Butte Silverbow Water Dept | 26.4 | Watch | 33K | 4 |
| 11 | River Rock County Water and Sewer Dist | 26.2 | Watch | 4K | 4 |
| 12 | Co Water Dist of Billings Heights | 24.9 | Watch | 12K | 5 |
| 13 | Big Sky County Water and Sewer Dist 363 | 24.5 | Watch | 4K | 5 |
| 14 | Libby City of | 23.2 | Watch | 5K | 3 |
| 15 | Billings City of | 22.9 | Watch | 114K | 4 |
| 16 | Great Falls City of | 22.4 | Watch | 60K | 4 |
| 17 | Mountain Water Company | 21.4 | Watch | 68K | 3 |
| 18 | Helena Water System | 19.5 | Stable | 32K | 4 |
| 19 | Hamilton City of | 18.1 | Stable | 6K | 4 |
| 20 | Dillon City of | 17.0 | Stable | 4K | 3 |
Comparison
State Comparison
National average: 25.0
| Rank | State | Avg Score | Band | Markets | Delta vs State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | Virginia | 19.9 | Stable | 162 | +0.7 |
| 49 | Maine | 19.9 | Watch | 33 | +0.7 |
| 50 | Montana | 19.2 | Stable | 38 | +0.0 |
| 51 | Michigan | 18.8 | Stable | 304 | -0.4 |
| 52 | Puerto Rico | 5.9 | Stable | 41 | -13.3 |
Analytical posture
State Stress Analytics
Score Distribution
Distribution of scored market scores with the state average overlay.
38 markets plotted.
Stress vs Population
Each point is a scored market; tooltip reveals market-level context.
37 markets plotted.
Population View
People served by community water systems in Montana, colored by stress band.
~601K people served by 38 systems in Montana
Stable
Watch
Fragile
High Stress
Critical
38 scored systems · colored by stress band
Peer Constellation
Select a market to see its nearest peers by score similarity.
24 nearest peers by score distance.
Score Trend
Latest
19.2
Trend
+19.2
Observations
41
Extended layers
Advanced State Context
Priority views, detailed registers, and methodology supporting the analytical core above.
Markets & signals
Priority Views
| # | Service Market | Score | Band | Pop. | Signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hardin City of | 41.6 | Fragile | 4K | 9 |
| 2 | Glendive City of | 36.4 | Watch | 5K | 9 |
| 3 | Miles City City of | 31.5 | Watch | 10K | 6 |
| 4 | Polson City of | 30.7 | Watch | 5K | 5 |
| 5 | Wolf Point City of | 30.0 | Watch | 0 | 8 |
| 6 | Havre City of | 29.7 | Watch | 10K | 6 |
| 7 | Malmstrom Air Force Base | 29.3 | Watch | 9K | 5 |
| 8 | Laurel Municipal Water System | 27.3 | Watch | 6K | 5 |
| 9 | West Yellowstone Town of | 27.1 | Watch | 10K | 6 |
| 10 | Butte Silverbow Water Dept | 26.4 | Watch | 33K | 4 |
| 11 | River Rock County Water and Sewer Dist | 26.2 | Watch | 4K | 4 |
| 12 | Co Water Dist of Billings Heights | 24.9 | Watch | 12K | 5 |
| 13 | Big Sky County Water and Sewer Dist 363 | 24.5 | Watch | 4K | 5 |
| 14 | Libby City of | 23.2 | Watch | 5K | 3 |
| 15 | Billings City of | 22.9 | Watch | 114K | 4 |
| 16 | Great Falls City of | 22.4 | Watch | 60K | 4 |
| 17 | Mountain Water Company | 21.4 | Watch | 68K | 3 |
| 18 | Helena Water System | 19.5 | Stable | 32K | 4 |
| 19 | Hamilton City of | 18.1 | Stable | 6K | 4 |
| 20 | Dillon City of | 17.0 | Stable | 4K | 3 |
Detailed records
Registers
| # | Market | Score | Band | Population | Signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hardin City of | 41.6 | Fragile | 4K | 9 |
| 2 | Glendive City of | 36.4 | Watch | 5K | 9 |
| 3 | Miles City City of | 31.5 | Watch | 10K | 6 |
| 4 | Polson City of | 30.7 | Watch | 5K | 5 |
| 5 | Wolf Point City of | 30.0 | Watch | 0 | 8 |
| 6 | Havre City of | 29.7 | Watch | 10K | 6 |
| 7 | Malmstrom Air Force Base | 29.3 | Watch | 9K | 5 |
| 8 | Laurel Municipal Water System | 27.3 | Watch | 6K | 5 |
| 9 | West Yellowstone Town of | 27.1 | Watch | 10K | 6 |
| 10 | Butte Silverbow Water Dept | 26.4 | Watch | 33K | 4 |
| 11 | River Rock County Water and Sewer Dist | 26.2 | Watch | 4K | 4 |
| 12 | Co Water Dist of Billings Heights | 24.9 | Watch | 12K | 5 |
| 13 | Big Sky County Water and Sewer Dist 363 | 24.5 | Watch | 4K | 5 |
| 14 | Libby City of | 23.2 | Watch | 5K | 3 |
| 15 | Billings City of | 22.9 | Watch | 114K | 4 |
| 16 | Great Falls City of | 22.4 | Watch | 60K | 4 |
| 17 | Mountain Water Company | 21.4 | Watch | 68K | 3 |
| 18 | Helena Water System | 19.5 | Stable | 32K | 4 |
| 19 | Hamilton City of | 18.1 | Stable | 6K | 4 |
| 20 | Dillon City of | 17.0 | Stable | 4K | 3 |
State intelligence is assembled from EPA SDWA compliance records, American Community Survey demographic and economic indicators, FEMA NRI hazard exposure profiles, and state-reported financial disclosures. Each service market receives a MISI score (0–100) based on five families: Operational Stress, Capex Pressure, Revenue Fragility, Rate Constraint, and Governance Risk. Scores are deterministic and threshold-based. In v0.1.2, the headline composite remains a blended structural stress measure rather than a pure physical-condition index. A frozen national reference and a 50 percent single-factor cap reduce the dominance of near-universal and very rare factors, while the component bars continue to separate infrastructure, socioeconomic, and observability readings. Peer context is provided by percentile ranking within population-based cohorts.
Munimetric tracks infrastructure stress across 38 community drinking-water systems in Montana, covering compliance conditions, capital needs, revenue and rate pressure, and governance risk. Use this page to research which systems face the highest structural stress and how Montana compares nationally.
- Which water systems in Montana face the most infrastructure stress?
- The highest-stress systems in Montana are ranked by MISI score above. Stress reflects operational burden, capital gaps, revenue fragility, rate affordability constraints, and governance risk—not a single compliance event. In v0.1.2, the headline composite remains a blended structural stress measure rather than a pure physical-condition index. A frozen national reference and a 50 percent single-factor cap reduce the dominance of near-universal and very rare factors, while the component bars continue to separate infrastructure, socioeconomic, and observability readings.
- How does Montana compare to other states for drinking water infrastructure risk?
- Montana is compared against all 50 states and territories using average MISI score, market count, and band distribution. The state comparison table above shows where Montana ranks nationally and how its average score compares.
- Are there lead pipe or corrosion-related concerns in Montana water systems?
- Where lead and copper rule compliance data is available from EPA SDWA records, Munimetric factors it into the Operational Stress family. Specific lead service line inventories vary by system. Individual system profiles contain the most detailed compliance context available.
- What compliance signals are active in Montana?
- Munimetric tracks signals such as compliance escalation, monitoring and reporting failures, data staleness, and financial stress indicators across Montana systems. The signal frequency table above summarizes which signals are most prevalent statewide.
- Does Munimetric track boil water advisories in Montana?
- Munimetric does not track real-time boil water advisories. For current advisories, contact your local water utility or state drinking water program. Munimetric monitors structural conditions—compliance posture, infrastructure stress, and governance risk—that provide broader context around system reliability.
- Hardin City of water system profile
- Glendive City of drinking water infrastructure profile
- Miles City City of MISI score & system data
- Polson City of water system profile
- Wolf Point City of drinking water infrastructure profile
- Havre City of MISI score & system data
- Malmstrom Air Force Base water system profile
- Laurel Municipal Water System drinking water infrastructure profile
- West Yellowstone Town of MISI score & system data
- Butte Silverbow Water Dept water system profile
- River Rock County Water and Sewer Dist drinking water infrastructure profile
- Co Water Dist of Billings Heights MISI score & system data
- Big Sky County Water and Sewer Dist 363 water system profile
- Libby City of drinking water infrastructure profile
- Billings City of MISI score & system data
Keep monitoring this state
Workflow access covers exports, Track, Munex, alerts, and repeat monitoring tools.
Water Infrastructure in Montana
Munimetric tracks infrastructure stress across 38 community drinking-water systems in Montana. Each system receives a Munimetric Infrastructure Stress Index (MISI) score from 0 to 100, calculated across five risk families: Operational Stress, Capex Pressure, Revenue Fragility, Rate Constraint, and Governance Risk. Higher scores indicate more structural stress. Scores are source-backed and deterministic, drawing from EPA SDWA compliance records, American Community Survey demographic and economic data, FEMA National Risk Index hazard profiles, and state financial disclosures.
State-level monitoring shows which systems face the highest structural stress, how Montana compares against other states nationally, and which monitoring signals are most active across the state. Each individual system profile includes compliance history, score family drivers, peer rankings within population-based cohorts where safeguards pass, and public source context. Full provenance cards and source workbench views remain workflow-gated. Munimetric covers community water systems across all 50 states and territories. This is structural risk research—not a water quality rating, advisory feed, or credit rating. Updated May 2026.
The statewide public-record layer adds drinking-water violation categories, PFAS monitoring summaries where stored, lead and copper context, source-water mix, and official record links across covered systems. These records help explain water-system context alongside infrastructure stress without turning Munimetric into a tap-water safety determination.
- What is the Munimetric score for Montana?
- Munimetric assigns a state-level average MISI score based on the individual scores of all covered community water systems in Montana. The state average, band distribution, and market-level rankings are shown on this page. Higher MISI values indicate greater structural stress.
- Which water systems in Montana face the most infrastructure stress?
- The state page ranks the highest-stress systems in Montana by MISI score. Stress reflects operational burden, capital gaps, revenue fragility, rate affordability constraints, and governance risk, not a single compliance event. The headline remains a blended structural stress composite rather than a pure physical-condition index. Workflow actions remain reserved for account access.
- How does Montana compare to other states for drinking water infrastructure risk?
- Montana is compared against all 50 states and territories using average MISI score, market count, and band distribution. Munimetric tracks nationwide coverage across 9,000+ scored service markets.
- Are there lead pipe or corrosion-related concerns in Montana water systems?
- Where lead and copper rule compliance data is available from EPA SDWA records, Munimetric factors it into the Operational Stress family score. Specific lead service line inventories vary by system. Individual system profiles contain the most detailed compliance context available.
- Does Munimetric include PFAS monitoring context for Montana water systems?
- Munimetric summarizes stored PFAS monitoring context where public contaminant-monitoring records are available. Missing PFAS summaries remain missing records, not non-detections, and this public-record layer does not change the MISI score by itself.
- What compliance signals are active in Montana?
- Munimetric tracks signals such as compliance escalation, monitoring and reporting failures, population decline, income erosion, data staleness, and parent-government fiscal stress across Montana water systems.
- Does Munimetric track boil water advisories in Montana?
- Munimetric does not track real-time boil water advisories. For current advisories, contact your local water utility or state drinking water program. Munimetric monitors structural conditions that provide context around system reliability over time.
- U.S. water infrastructure stress monitoring homepage
- How Munimetric scores drinking water systems
- Browse all water system profiles in the Screener
- Compare water infrastructure risk across all U.S. states
- Browse Montana water systems by MISI stress band
- Browse Montana water systems by population served
- Browse Montana water systems by source-water type
- Water infrastructure research & guides
- Munimetric analytical rankings
- Compare states by average MISI
- Compare states by High Stress share
- National High-Stress water-system ranking