Montana's Strong Jobs Recovery Breaking Records
Press Release
Key employment indicators remained strong in Montana in April, with the state's unemployment rate remaining at a record low and the state's labor force and total employment reaching record highs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"Montana's record-breaking jobs recovery and economic comeback are strong thanks to hardworking Montanans," Governor Greg Gianforte said. "Our continued focus on cutting taxes, rolling back red tape, and attracting and training workers in critical industries like health care, construction, and manufacturing is key to fueling future job creation, growth, and prosperity."
Montana's unemployment rate in April remained at a record-low 2.3%, the fifth lowest in the nation, beating the national rate of 3.6%.
Since Gov. Gianforte was elected, Montana's unemployment rate has dropped from 4.2% to 2.3%. Five of the 6 months with the lowest unemployment rate in Montana history have been on Gov. Gianforte's watch -- January to April 2022 and November 2021.
More than 28,000 jobs have been created in Montana since Gov. Gianforte was elected in November 2020. Montana's total employment is at its highest level ever recorded with 547,573 Montanans working and with 2,232 additional employed workers over March.
In April, Montana's labor force reached another record high at 560,706, with roughly 2,268 new workers entering the state's labor force.
Despite another positive jobs report, inflation continues to take a heavy toll on Montana families, with Montanans facing a nearly 13 percent increase in prices from January 2021 to April 2022, one of the highest rates in the nation.
Montana households are paying an average of $652 more per month due to inflation, including $66 more in food costs, $107 more in shelter costs, $290 more in transportation costs, and $166 more in energy costs.
On an annualized basis, Montanans are facing cost increases of more than $7,800 per year due to inflation, according to the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee.
"Montana families are struggling to make ends meet as the Biden administration has imposed an inflation tax on them, eating away at what they work hard to earn. We wouldn't be in this massive hole if the federal government hadn't recklessly spent trillions of dollars it didn't need to spend," Gov. Gianforte said. "The best way out of a hole is to stop digging, and the best way out of the Biden inflation hole is for the president to stop with the out-of-control spending."
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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 0.6 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 Research and Analysis Bureau at 406-444-4100.
The next Labor Market Information report including data from May 2022 will be released on Friday, June 17.
**** 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 2.7%.
Unemployment Rate
Employment
Rank
County
Current Unemployment Rate
Change over Year
Current Employment
Job Change from Last Year
1
McCone
1.4
-0.2
1,000
26
2
Treasure
1.6
-1.4
362
7
3
Daniels
1.8
0.1
883
13
3
Fallon
1.8
-0.9
1,608
29
3
Sweet Grass
1.8
-1
1,924
69
3
Gallatin
1.8
-0.8
74,505
3,993
7
Chouteau
2
-0.8
2,447
40
7
Liberty
2
-0.5
1,005
21
7
Madison
2
-1.1
5,343
260
7
Toole
2
-0.6
2,032
14
11
Judith Basin
2.1
-0.6
933
-2
12
Carter
2.2
-0.9
653
23
12
Garfield
2.2
-0.2
749
8
12
Meagher
2.2
-0.8
957
28
12
Sheridan
2.2
-1.7
1,759
11
16
Custer
2.3
-0.9
6,333
353
16
Powder River
2.3
-0.4
1,000
46
16
Stillwater
2.3
-0.7
5,528
141
19
Beaverhead
2.4
-0.6
5,073
158
19
Dawson
2.4
-0.9
4,491
103
19
Hill
2.4
-0.8
7,375
63
19
Lewis and Clark
2.4
-0.6
37,081
1,194
19
Pondera
2.4
-0.8
2,636
46
19
Teton
2.4
-0.6
2,808
58
19
Yellowstone
2.4
-0.9
84,516
3,883
26
Deer Lodge
2.5
-0.8
5,197
292
26
Petroleum
2.5
-0.1
278
11
28
Jefferson
2.6
-0.9
5,871
185
28
Powell
2.6
-0.5
2,890
149
28
Prairie
2.6
-0.7
483
7
28
Valley
2.6
-0.8
3,931
73
28
Missoula
2.6
-1
65,346
2,991
33
Musselshell
2.7
-1.8
2,351
106
33
Ravalli
2.7
-0.9
21,379
660
33
Cascade
2.7
-0.8
37,450
1,218
36
Carbon
2.8
-0.8
5,663
222
37
Fergus
2.9
-0.6
5,929
339
37
Lake
2.9
-1.2
13,924
768
37
Silver Bow
2.9
-0.9
17,462
743
40
Blaine
3
-1
2,260
59
40
Park
3
-1.1
8,931
280
40
Wibaux
3
-0.6
415
-11
43
Broadwater
3.1
-1
2,616
71
43
Golden Valley
3.1
-0.4
370
12
43
Richland
3.1
-2
5,575
67
46
Flathead
3.3
-1.1
49,666
1,696
47
Rosebud
3.4
-0.5
3,573
95
48
Phillips
3.5
-0.6
1,811
-32
49
Wheatland
3.7
-1.2
745
4
50
Roosevelt
3.8
-0.7
4,244
103
51
Sanders
4.3
-0.9
5,150
246
52
Granite
4.4
-0.9
1,572
55
53
Mineral
5
-0.5
1,796
96
54
Big Horn
5.7
-3.6
4,490
301
54
Lincoln
5.7
-1.2
7,920
435
56
Glacier
6.3
-1.5
5,187
161
****** 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 2.7%. 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 Rate
Employment
Rank
Area
Current Unemployment Rate
Change over Year
Current Employment
Job Change from Last Year
1
Flathead
3.1
-1.2
13,651
742
2
Fort Peck
4.8
-0.9
3,820
89
3
Fort Belknap
7.2
-2.1
743
18
4
Rocky Boy's
7.6
-2.4
1,068
11
5
Crow
8.5
-5.1
2,313
150
6
Blackfeet
8.6
-2.1
3,673
111
7
Northern Cheyenne
8.8
-2.2
1,250
51
Source