Montana Reaches 24th Consecutive Month of Unemployment Below 3

Department of Labor and Industry
  • November 20 2023

HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today announced Montana reached its 24th consecutive month of unemployment below 3%. Prior to the governor taking office, Montana’s unemployment rate had fallen below 3% only three times since record-keeping began 50 years ago.

“Montana has seen two straight years of unemployment below 3%, shattering previous records,” Gov. Gianforte said. “With hardworking Montanans in mind, we’ll continue to cut red tape, lower taxes, and invest in a stronger workforce to make Montana an even better place to live, work, start a business, and raise a family.”

Payroll jobs in Montana rose by 1,600 in October, with the greatest gains in the leisure and hospitality industries, while total employment (which includes payroll, agricultural, and self-employed workers) fell slightly. Since January 2021, Montana has added nearly 40,000 jobs.

In October, Montana’s labor force grew by nearly 700 workers, adding nearly 9,000 workers since the start of the year.

Montana’s unemployment rate of 2.8% in November is below the national unemployment rate of 3.9% in October.

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) remained unchanged in October. Shelter costs continued to rise in October, offsetting a decline in the gasoline index. For the 12-months ending in October, the all-items index rose 3.2%. The index for all items minus food and energy, also called core inflation, increased by 0.2% for the month. For the year ending in October, core inflation was 4.0%. 

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 ** Unemployment figures are seasonally-adjusted. Seasonally-adjusted numbers remove the effects of events that follow a more or less regular month-to-month pattern each year. These adjustments make non-seasonal patterns easier to identify. The margin of error for the unemployment rate is plus or minus 0.5 percentage points at the 90 percent confidence level. All questions relating to the calculation of unemployment rates should be directed to the Montana Department of Labor & Industry’s Data and Operations Bureau at 406-444-4100.

The next Labor Market Information report, including data from November 2023, will be released on Friday, December 22nd.

 

**** INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET ****

Visit our website at www.lmi.mt.gov for additional information and analysis, including industry employment levels, background on the unemployment rate, and wage rates by occupation. Visit www.lmi.mt.gov/home/job-tracking for Montana unemployment claims and current economic data.

 

****** COUNTY UNEMPLOYMENT RATES *****

 The unemployment rate and ranking for each of Montana’s 56 counties is provided below for your convenience.  County unemployment rates and employment levels are not seasonally adjusted and should be compared to the unadjusted statewide unemployment rate of 2.9%.

unemployment rates

 

Unemployment Rate

Employment

Rank

County

Current Unemployment Rate

Change over Year

Current Employment

Job Change from Last Year

1

Fallon

1.9

0.4

1,644

8

2

McCone

2

0.3

982

-1

3

Daniels

2.1

0.2

869

7

4

Prairie

2.2

0

675

195

4

Valley

2.2

0.3

3,968

26

6

Gallatin

2.3

0.4

80,111

3543

6

Meagher

2.3

0.4

970

-3

6

Sheridan

2.3

0.7

1,712

-24

9

Beaverhead

2.4

0.6

5,219

-318

9

Powder River

2.4

0.5

1,010

0

9

Sweet Grass

2.4

0.6

1,918

34

9

Toole

2.4

0.5

2,097

-6

13

Custer

2.5

0.5

6,197

-42

13

Garfield

2.5

0.5

731

-18

13

Park

2.5

0.2

10,275

411

16

Deer Lodge

2.6

0.6

5,351

67

16

Fergus

2.6

0.7

5,808

13

16

Lewis and Clark

2.6

0.6

38,758

770

16

Powell

2.6

0.3

3,046

161

16

Stillwater

2.6

0.5

5,378

54

21

Carter

2.7

0.6

686

1

21

Dawson

2.7

0.7

4,270

-166

21

Judith Basin

2.7

0.4

1,012

2

21

Liberty

2.7

0.3

1,010

28

25

Carbon

2.8

0.5

5,642

16

25

Hill

2.8

0.6

7,630

227

25

Richland

2.8

0.5

5,713

-118

25

Yellowstone

2.8

0.6

84,362

267

29

Cascade

2.9

0.6

38,650

89

29

Missoula

2.9

0.7

67,157

1234

31

Ravalli

3

0.7

21,860

268

31

Teton

3

0.7

2,774

-1

33

Jefferson

3.1

0.9

6,112

114

33

Pondera

3.1

0.9

2,609

23

33

Treasure

3.1

1.1

343

-7

36

Broadwater

3.2

0.4

2,823

86

36

Golden Valley

3.2

0.5

366

1

36

Musselshell

3.2

0.9

2,365

63

36

Petroleum

3.2

0.7

272

4

36

Silver Bow

3.2

0.8

17,517

292

41

Flathead

3.3

0.9

51,860

813

41

Phillips

3.3

-0.1

1,749

-50

43

Rosebud

3.5

0.6

3,452

-72

44

Blaine

3.6

1.1

2,177

1

44

Granite

3.6

0.7

1,618

24

44

Lake

3.6

1.1

13,972

-146

47

Chouteau

3.7

1.5

2,492

-4

47

Roosevelt

3.7

1

4,190

-80

47

Wheatland

3.7

0.8

739

-6

47

Wibaux

3.7

1.5

444

-2

51

Madison

4.1

2

3,960

-780

51

Sanders

4.1

1.1

5,490

179

53

Lincoln

4.2

0.8

8,603

173

54

Big Horn

4.3

0.6

4,518

35

55

Mineral

4.5

0.7

1,820

17

56

Glacier

4.6

0.8

5,678

104

 

****** RESERVATION UNEMPLOYMENT RATES ******

 The unemployment rate and ranking for each of Montana’s seven reservations is provided below.  Reservation unemployment rates and employment levels are not seasonally adjusted and should be compared to the unadjusted statewide unemployment rate of 2.9%. Reservation areas overlap with county areas, meaning that unemployed individuals living on a reservation will be included in both the reservation and county totals.

unemployment rates

 

Unemployment Rate

Employment

Rank

Area

Current Unemployment Rate

Change over Year

Current Employment

Job Change from Last Year

1

Flathead

3.7

1

13,766

-89

2

Fort Peck

4.6

1.2

3,778

-62

3

Blackfeet

6.6

1.1

3,997

71

3

Crow

6.6

0.9

2,326

17

5

Fort Belknap

8.1

1.8

716

-1

6

Northern Cheyenne

8.4

1.2

1,225

-13

7

Rocky Boy's

10.2

2.8

1,100

23

 

Contacts:
Brooke Metrione, Office of the Governor


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