Ivybend Advances, a small-business funding broker in Missoula, MT, works from 111 W Broadway St in Missoula County, which counted 4,816 employer establishments in 2023 and 12,867 businesses without payroll in 2024. This page sets out those Census figures by size, sector and ZIP code, with links to funding shapes and local guides.
| Employer establishments | 4,816 county-wide, CBP 2023 |
|---|---|
| Under five employees | 2,697 employers, 56.0% (CBP 2023) |
| No-payroll businesses | 12,867 (Nonemployer Statistics 2024) |
| ZIP 59802 employers | 996 establishments (ZBP 2023) |
| Self-employed residents | 12.9% of employed Missoula city residents (ACS 2020-2024) |
| Housing units permitted | 886 across the county in 2025 (Census BPS) |
How big Missoula County, MT employers are
County Business Patterns counts every establishment with at least one paid employee. Missoula County had 4,816 of them in 2023, employing 54,136 people in the pay period that includes March 12, with an annual payroll of about $2.74 billion (U.S. Census Bureau, CBP 2023).
| Employees | Establishments |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 2,697 |
| 5 to 9 | 868 |
| 10 to 19 | 630 |
| 20 to 49 | 442 |
| 50 to 99 | 117 |
| 100 to 249 | 46 |
| 250 to 499 | 13 |
Read down the table and the shape is plain: 4,195 of the 4,816 employers had fewer than 20 people. Funding questions here are mostly small-business questions: one late invoice, one broken machine, one new hire.
ZIP 59802 around W Broadway
Ivybend's W Broadway address sits in ZIP 59802, which had 996 employer establishments in 2023, 12,507 paid employees and an annual payroll of about $677.0 million (ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023). Of those employers, 54.4 percent had fewer than five employees.
- Professional, scientific and technical services: 195 establishments
- Health care and social assistance, 129 establishments
- Accommodation and food services: 107, of which only 16.8 percent had fewer than five employees
- Retail trade: 92
- Other services: 89
- Construction: 78
A ZIP code is a mail route, not a city boundary. The City of Missoula covers 22.0 percent of ZIP 59802's land, and the ZIP holds 28.9 percent of the city's land, according to the Census Bureau's 2020 ZIP-to-place relationship file. Mail addressed to Missoula does not always mean a location inside city limits, which matters for licensing.
Sectors with the most employers in Missoula County, MT
| Sector | Establishments | Share under 5 employees |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 638 | 71.3% |
| Health care and social assistance | 619 | 51.5% |
| Construction | 612 | 67.0% |
| Retail trade | 543 | 38.1% |
| Other services | 436 | 60.3% |
| Accommodation and food services | 371 | 22.4% |
Health care and social assistance carried the largest payroll of any sector, about $542.6 million, while retail trade employed the most people, 8,675 (CBP 2023).
Businesses with no payroll at all
Nonemployer Statistics count businesses that file taxes but pay no employees: sole proprietors, single-owner LLCs, independent trades. Missoula County had 12,867 of them in 2024. Professional, scientific and technical services led with 2,134, then real estate and rental with 2,015, construction with 1,285 and arts, entertainment and recreation with 1,124 (Nonemployer Statistics 2024).
These are a different program and year from the employer counts above, so the two should not be added together. They do show how many owners work alone, and for some of them the first hire is the next decision.
Working for yourself in Missoula, MT and Missoula County, MT
In the American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, 12.9 percent of employed Missoula city residents worked for themselves (margin of error 1.6 points), against 13.6 percent across Missoula County (margin 1.2) and 15.2 percent for Montana (margin 0.4). The county and state ranges meet at their edges, so the survey does not show a clear gap between them.
Within the city, more of the self-employed ran businesses that were not incorporated (8.0 percent of employed residents, margin 1.3) than incorporated ones (4.9 percent, margin 0.8).
Housing permits in Missoula County, MT
The Census Building Permits Survey counted 886 new privately owned housing units authorized across Missoula County in 2025, up from 773 in 2024 and 656 in 2023. In 2025, 423 were single-unit homes and 387 were in buildings of five or more units. These are residential permits only, but they are work for the county's 612 construction employers.
Construction, health care and food service around the county
Three of the county's larger sectors are also our partners' core sectors. Construction had 612 employers and 1,285 owner-only firms; ambulatory health care had 418 employers; food services and drinking places had 313 employers with 6,169 paid employees (CBP 2023; Nonemployer Statistics 2024). Each collects cash on a different rhythm, which is why the same request can call for a different funding shape depending on the trade.
Turning these counts into a funding request
A county of small employers asks small-business questions. Working capital covers timing gaps, equipment financing covers the machines contractors and kitchens run on, and the full comparison sets all six shapes side by side. Sector detail is on the sector pages.
Local records and contacts
Before a partner reads a file, licensing and entity records should be in order. The Missoula business license guide explains how to search, apply and renew, and Western Montana small business resources lists the kinds of free help available.
Reaching Ivybend Advances
Find Ivybend Advances at 111 W Broadway St, Missoula, MT 59802, or phone (406) 313-8064. Who we are and ways to reach us have the details, and the communities on our list covers nearby towns.
The Ivybend blog applies these figures to single decisions: leasing commercial space, a first hire, a second dental office and construction equipment.
Who Ivybend Advances works with in Missoula, MT
Our partners have confirmed appetite for four kinds of business: contractors and construction trades, restaurants and food service, medical and dental practices, and retailers and wholesalers that carry stock. If your Missoula, MT business is something else, call and ask before you spend time on paperwork.
What to gather before you call
- Your most recent business tax return
- An up-to-date P&L and balance sheet, even if you prepare them yourself
- Government-issued ID for each owner
- Your articles of organization or incorporation and the EIN letter
- Details of any loans, leases or advances the business already carries
- A written quote or invoice if the money is for equipment
No two partners ask for exactly the same file, so use this as a checklist rather than a rule.
From first call to a partner's decision
- Reach us at (406) 313-8064 or through the contact form. When we call back, the first questions are simple: what the funding is for, how long the business has operated and its rough revenue.
- We explain which funding types fit that use and what partners usually need to see. Nothing is submitted without your go-ahead.
- After you give the go-ahead, we share the request with suitable lending partners, and each one decides on its own.
- Any offer comes from the partner. Read the total cost, the payment schedule and the terms before deciding; turning it down is always an option.
Our address: 111 W Broadway St, Missoula, MT 59802.
By Ivybend Advances · Updated