Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Flathead County index 1975–2025
Flathead County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Flathead County's FHFA index, with the national index rebased to the same start.
Census Bureau notes: building permit figures cover new privately owned housing units authorised by permit-issuing places; permits do not mean the units were started or completed, and places that report less often than monthly are imputed in monthly totals. FHFA notes: The FHFA HPI is a broad measure of the movement of single-family house prices. The FHFA HPI is a weighted, repeat-sales index, meaning that it measures average price changes in repeat sales or refinancings on the same properties.
In the 12 months to August 2026, building permits in Columbia Falls, Montana, covered 68 housing units (+1600.0% year on year); the place lies in Flathead County.
16 of those units were single-family houses (24%), 0 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 52 in buildings of five or more units. That is 11.8 units per 1,000 residents, well above the county's 7.4 and well above the state's 4.8.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 1,234 units, with the busiest year 2019 (116 units). Flathead County's FHFA house price index rose +145.2% over the ten years to 2025.
68units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+1600.0% on the previous 12 months
16single-family units24% of the total
52units in 5+ unit buildings76% of the total
11.8units per 1,000 residentsFlathead County 7.4 · Montana 4.8
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Columbia Falls by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Columbia Falls
Flathead County
Montana
United States
All housing units
68
858
5,457
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
16 (24%)
236 (28%)
2,709 (50%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
0
32
264
34,814
3–4 units
0
9
338
17,298
5 or more units
52 (76%)
581 (68%)
2,146 (39%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
11.8
7.4
4.8
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+1600.0%
+42.3%
+4.9%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Columbia Falls by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
1,234 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2019. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Flathead County
FHFA's index for Flathead County rose +145.2% over the ten years to 2025 (+9.4% a year) and +2.0% in the latest year, against +105.0% and +2.3% for Montana. Full county page: decade table, peak-to-low declines, every ZIP code and every permit-issuing place in the county.
Questions and answers
How many homes are being built in Columbia Falls, MT?
68 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 4 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Columbia Falls?
16 single-family units, 0 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 52 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Columbia Falls compare with its county and state?
11.8 units per 1,000 residents in Columbia Falls, 7.4 in Flathead County and 4.8 in Montana.
How have home prices moved in Flathead County?
FHFA's index for Flathead County rose +145.2% over the ten years to 2025 and +2.0% in the latest year; the county page has the full series.
What does a permit count?
A housing unit authorised by a building permit for new privately owned residential construction, as reported to the Census Bureau Building Permits Survey by the permit-issuing office. Permits are not completions; some permitted units are never built, and places that report only annually are imputed in monthly figures.
Provenance
Permits: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, place-level monthly and annual files through August 2026 (permit office 129000); county and state comparisons from the county and state files. Population: Census Bureau vintage 2025 estimates for incorporated places, matched on FIPS place code where the permit office is one. House price index: Federal Housing Finance Agency. Public domain. Corrections · Building Permits Survey.