Montana Unemployment Rate Remains Low Despite National Increase

Montana Unemployment Rate Remains Low Despite National Increase

State's unemployment rate at or below 3.4% for 37 consecutive months, a record stretch

• August 19 2024

HELENA, Mont. - Governor Greg Gianforte today announced that Montana's unemployment rate remained at 3.1% in July, while the national rate rose to 4.3%, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Montana Department of Labor and Industry.

"Our pro-jobs, pro-family, pro-business policies are helping keep Montanans working while the national unemployment rate rises as a result of the Biden-Harris administration," Gov. Gianforte said. "Many businesses across Montana are providing good-paying jobs across our state. 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."

The state's unemployment rate of 3.1% in July continues a record of 37 consecutive months with the rate at or below 3.4%. The next closest stretch was during 2006 and 2007, when the state's unemployment rate remained at or below 3.4% for 15 consecutive months.

Since Gov. Gianforte took office in January 2021, nearly 40,000 jobs have been created in Montana. More Montanans are working than ever before, with total employment rising by 1,227 in July, bringing total employment in the state to 562,000 Montanans working. Private sector job gains were driven by increases in health care and the accommodations and food service industries.

The number of people in the state's labor force rose by 1,579 in July, reaching another record high of more than 580,000 Montanans in the labor force.

Despite the encouraging jobs report, inflation continues to make it harder for Montana families to make ends meet.

"The Biden-Harris administration has been a disaster for Montana families. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' out-of-control federal spending has driven up inflation nearly 22 percent in Montana and forced Montana families to pay $1,117 more per month for the things they need than when Biden and Harris took office," Gov. Gianforte said. "We need fiscal restraint and responsibility in Washington to fix the Biden-Harris affordability crisis."

According to the U.S. Joint Economic Committee, since President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took office in January 2021, Montanans have seen prices skyrocket 21.8% because of the inflationary policies of the Biden-Harris administration. The average Montana household is paying $1,117 more per month today for the things they need - including groceries, gas, housing, and energy - than when Biden and Harris took office. Since the Biden-Harris administration took office in January 2021, the average Montana household has spent nearly $31,000 more due to inflation.

BLS reports the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2% in July, on a seasonally adjusted basis for a 12-month change of 2.9%. Energy prices were unchanged while prices for shelter and food increased. The index for all items minus food and energy, or core inflation, rose 0.2% in July.

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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.

**** 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 3.1%.

	Unemployment Rate	Employment
Rank	County	Current Unemployment Rate	Change over Year	Current Employment	Job Change from Last Year
1	Fallon	1.7	0.2	1660	98
2	Daniels	2	0.3	843	13
2	Meagher	2	0.3	1053	38
2	Powder River	2	0.5	1026	64
5	McCone	2.1	0.2	965	26
6	Sweet Grass	2.2	0.3	1944	68
6	Gallatin	2.2	0.4	84564	4161
8	Garfield	2.3	0.1	711	38
9	Beaverhead	2.4	0.1	5255	225
9	Valley	2.4	0.3	4022	132
11	Liberty	2.5	-0.1	959	11
11	Park	2.5	0.4	10751	42
11	Prairie	2.5	0.7	662	22
11	Sheridan	2.5	0.8	1692	66
15	Custer	2.7	0.3	6217	75
16	Deer Lodge	2.8	0.5	5505	-2
16	Wibaux	2.8	0.3	450	26
18	Chouteau	2.9	-0.1	2436	109
18	Fergus	2.9	0.5	5796	175
18	Jefferson	2.9	0.4	6160	150
18	Lewis and Clark	2.9	0.5	39128	829
18	Stillwater	2.9	0.7	5174	-112
18	Teton	2.9	0.3	2752	92
24	Broadwater	3	-0.1	2865	63
24	Carbon	3	0.5	5776	43
24	Richland	3	0.5	5463	7
27	Dawson	3.1	0.6	4116	34
27	Powell	3.1	0.7	3041	106
27	Treasure	3.1	0.4	315	22
30	Carter	3.2	0.9	662	60
30	Hill	3.2	0.9	7392	-134
30	Ravalli	3.2	0.7	22102	500
30	Missoula	3.2	0.7	67486	240
34	Toole	3.3	1.5	2076	14
34	Yellowstone	3.3	0.8	86455	-219
34	Flathead	3.3	0.6	55718	652
34	Cascade	3.3	0.7	38097	-32
38	Musselshell	3.4	0.6	2309	50
39	Golden Valley	3.6	1.2	373	9
39	Petroleum	3.6	0.5	264	14
41	Granite	3.7	1.2	1625	-40
41	Silver Bow	3.7	0.8	17970	-30
43	Madison	3.8	1.5	3615	-869
44	Pondera	4	0.8	2425	-32
45	Judith Basin	4.1	1.8	955	98
45	Phillips	4.1	0.2	1638	73
47	Lake	4.2	1.1	14153	120
48	Wheatland	4.3	1	719	46
49	Blaine	4.4	1	2010	87
49	Roosevelt	4.4	0.7	4081	76
51	Rosebud	4.5	0.8	3515	22
52	Sanders	4.7	0.7	5330	84
53	Glacier	5.3	0.2	5913	160
53	Lincoln	5.3	0.9	8712	326
55	Big Horn	5.4	1.4	4337	65
56	Mineral	5.9	2.1	1827	-61

****** 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 3.1%. 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	County	Current Unemployment Rate	Change over Year	Current Employment	Job Change from Last Year
1	Flathead	4.4	1.1	13899	123
2	Fort Peck	5.4	0.9	3697	77
3	Blackfeet	7.7	0.4	4137	103
4	Crow	8.1	2	2249	30
5	Fort Belknap	9.9	1.8	662	30
6	Rocky Boy's	10.1	1.6	1068	0
7	Northern Cheyenne	10.8	1.8	1222	12

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