diff --git a/.changes/unreleased/Fixes-20230906-142213.yaml b/.changes/unreleased/Fixes-20230906-142213.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..175ffc9afd0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changes/unreleased/Fixes-20230906-142213.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+kind: Fixes
+body: make version comparison insensitive to order
+time: 2023-09-06T14:22:13.114549-04:00
+custom:
+  Author: michelleark
+  Issue: "8571"
diff --git a/core/dbt/contracts/graph/unparsed.py b/core/dbt/contracts/graph/unparsed.py
index 69c8d55ffd0..2e976db3a89 100644
--- a/core/dbt/contracts/graph/unparsed.py
+++ b/core/dbt/contracts/graph/unparsed.py
@@ -163,14 +163,9 @@ class UnparsedVersion(dbtClassMixin):
 
     def __lt__(self, other):
         try:
-            v = type(other.v)(self.v)
-            return v < other.v
+            return float(self.v) < float(other.v)
         except ValueError:
-            try:
-                other_v = type(self.v)(other.v)
-                return self.v < other_v
-            except ValueError:
-                return str(self.v) < str(other.v)
+            return str(self.v) < str(other.v)
 
     @property
     def include_exclude(self) -> dbt.helper_types.IncludeExclude:
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_contracts_graph_unparsed.py b/tests/unit/test_contracts_graph_unparsed.py
index ad9f6d74922..2bff9e5fade 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_contracts_graph_unparsed.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_contracts_graph_unparsed.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
-import pickle
 from datetime import timedelta
+import pickle
+import pytest
 
 from dbt.contracts.graph.unparsed import (
     UnparsedNode,
@@ -940,3 +941,25 @@ def test_bad_version_no_v(self):
         version = self.get_ok_dict()
         del version["v"]
         self.assert_fails_validation(version)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "left,right,expected_lt",
+    [
+        # same types
+        (2, 12, True),
+        (12, 2, False),
+        ("a", "b", True),
+        ("b", "a", False),
+        # mismatched types - numeric
+        (2, 12.0, True),
+        (12.0, 2, False),
+        (2, "12", True),
+        ("12", 2, False),
+        # mismatched types
+        (1, "test", True),
+        ("test", 1, False),
+    ],
+)
+def test_unparsed_version_lt(left, right, expected_lt):
+    assert (UnparsedVersion(left) < UnparsedVersion(right)) == expected_lt
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_graph_selector_methods.py b/tests/unit/test_graph_selector_methods.py
index c307aa382d0..4345f762b55 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_graph_selector_methods.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_graph_selector_methods.py
@@ -638,6 +638,21 @@ def versioned_model_v3(seed):
     )
 
 
+@pytest.fixture
+def versioned_model_v12_string(seed):
+    return make_model(
+        "pkg",
+        "versioned_model",
+        'select * from {{ ref("seed") }}',
+        config_kwargs={"materialized": "table"},
+        refs=[seed],
+        sources=[],
+        path="subdirectory/versioned_model_v12.sql",
+        version="12",
+        latest_version=2,
+    )
+
+
 @pytest.fixture
 def versioned_model_v4_nested_dir(seed):
     return make_model(
@@ -732,6 +747,7 @@ def manifest(
     versioned_model_v2,
     versioned_model_v3,
     versioned_model_v4_nested_dir,
+    versioned_model_v12_string,
     ext_source_2,
     ext_source_other,
     ext_source_other_2,
@@ -760,6 +776,7 @@ def manifest(
         versioned_model_v2,
         versioned_model_v3,
         versioned_model_v4_nested_dir,
+        versioned_model_v12_string,
         ext_model,
         table_id_unique,
         table_id_not_null,
@@ -823,6 +840,7 @@ def test_select_fqn(manifest):
         "versioned_model.v2",
         "versioned_model.v3",
         "versioned_model.v4",
+        "versioned_model.v12",
         "table_model",
         "table_model_py",
         "table_model_csv",
@@ -840,6 +858,7 @@ def test_select_fqn(manifest):
         "versioned_model.v2",
         "versioned_model.v3",
         "versioned_model.v4",
+        "versioned_model.v12",
     }
     assert search_manifest_using_method(manifest, method, "versioned_model.v1") == {
         "versioned_model.v1"
@@ -1051,6 +1070,7 @@ def test_select_package(manifest):
         "versioned_model.v2",
         "versioned_model.v3",
         "versioned_model.v4",
+        "versioned_model.v12",
         "table_model",
         "table_model_py",
         "table_model_csv",
@@ -1103,6 +1123,7 @@ def test_select_config_materialized(manifest):
         "versioned_model.v2",
         "versioned_model.v3",
         "versioned_model.v4",
+        "versioned_model.v12",
         "mynamespace.union_model",
     }
 
@@ -1189,6 +1210,7 @@ def test_select_version(manifest):
     assert search_manifest_using_method(manifest, method, "prerelease") == {
         "versioned_model.v3",
         "versioned_model.v4",
+        "versioned_model.v12",
     }
     assert search_manifest_using_method(manifest, method, "none") == {
         "table_model_py",