Healthcare workers are being priced out of the very communities they serve. Logan Health workers report rising rents, unstable housing, and impossible tradeoffs between housing and basic needs.
In May 2025, Logan Health workers responded to a union survey about housing affordability. Their answers confirm what corporate leadership avoids acknowledging: wages are not keeping up with the cost of living.
- Flathead: $1,081 → $1,639
- Missoula: $1,203 → $1,604
- Lake: $934 → $1,400
- Lincoln: $905 → $1,134
Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition
Homeownership Is Not Realistic for Most Workers
Homeownership has become unrealistic for most healthcare workers, even those working full time, due to skyrocketing prices and stagnant wages.
Typical Montana home values rose 66% in four years. Workers’ incomes did not.
While home prices surged, average Montana incomes rose only 26%, making affordability worse every year.
Sources: Montana Free Press and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Montana Ranks Near the Bottom for Housing Affordability
Montana now ranks second to last nationally for housing affordability, forcing healthcare workers to make impossible choices.