HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today announced the number of Montanans working in November hit a new all-time high, according to data from the Montana Department of Labor and Industry and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
“With our pro-business, pro-growth, pro-jobs policies, and the hard work of Montanans, more Montanans are working and thriving in good-paying jobs than ever before,” Governor Gianforte said. “In the new year, we’ll continue to unleash the engine of economic growth, business development, and job creation that, for too long, sputtered here in Montana.”
Since Gov. Gianforte was elected in November 2020, more than 32,000 jobs have been created in Montana, with 14,000 jobs created in the first 11 months of 2022.
Montana’s total employment hit a new record high in November, growing by over 470 jobs with more than 551,700 Montanans working. Montana also added 1,700 payroll jobs in November.
Remaining near historic lows, Montana’s unemployment dropped to 2.9%. Since recordkeeping began almost 50 years ago, Montana’s unemployment rate has been lower than 3% in only 15 months. Twelve of those months were recorded under the governor’s leadership.
Through the first 11 months of 2022, Montana has averaged fewer than 15,000 unemployed workers statewide, the lowest average ever recorded.
Inflation and rising prices continue to weigh heavily on Montanans, as the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.1% over-the-month. A rising shelter index was the largest contributor to the increase. The index for all items minus food and energy, also called core inflation, rose 0.2% in November.
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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 Research and Analysis Bureau at 406-444-4100.
The next Labor Market Information report including data from December 2022 will be released on Monday, January 24.
**** 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 2.2%.
| Unemployment Rate | Employment | ||||
| Rank | County | Current Unemployment Rate | Change over Year | Current Employment | Job Change from Last Year |
| 1 | Fallon | 1.2 | -0.9 | 1692 | 81 |
| 1 | Sheridan | 1.2 | -0.9 | 1739 | -11 |
| 3 | Carter | 1.3 | -1.1 | 734 | 50 |
| 3 | Wibaux | 1.3 | -1.8 | 446 | 45 |
| 5 | McCone | 1.4 | 0 | 989 | 7 |
| 5 | Powder River | 1.4 | -0.8 | 1048 | 32 |
| 5 | Sweet Grass | 1.4 | -0.3 | 1910 | -7 |
| 8 | Toole | 1.5 | -0.7 | 2033 | -6 |
| 9 | Custer | 1.6 | -0.5 | 6408 | 269 |
| 9 | Daniels | 1.6 | -0.3 | 883 | 1 |
| 9 | Treasure | 1.6 | -1.2 | 368 | 21 |
| 12 | Beaverhead | 1.7 | -0.6 | 5132 | 16 |
| 12 | Chouteau | 1.7 | -0.3 | 2482 | -3 |
| 12 | Dawson | 1.7 | -0.5 | 4655 | 160 |
| 12 | Hill | 1.7 | -0.7 | 7482 | 5 |
| 12 | Stillwater | 1.7 | -0.3 | 5466 | -21 |
| 12 | Valley | 1.7 | -0.4 | 3926 | -118 |
| 12 | Gallatin | 1.7 | -0.3 | 76758 | 3493 |
| 19 | Judith Basin | 1.8 | -0.4 | 1051 | 43 |
| 19 | Liberty | 1.8 | -0.3 | 1009 | 18 |
| 21 | Lewis and Clark | 1.9 | -0.3 | 37752 | 986 |
| 21 | Meagher | 1.9 | -0.3 | 992 | 12 |
| 21 | Yellowstone | 1.9 | -0.3 | 85709 | 1845 |
| 24 | Richland | 2 | -0.5 | 5675 | -216 |
| 25 | Jefferson | 2.1 | -0.3 | 5973 | 148 |
| 25 | Madison | 2.1 | -0.6 | 4841 | 501 |
| 25 | Pondera | 2.1 | -0.1 | 2602 | -11 |
| 25 | Missoula | 2.1 | -0.5 | 65694 | 1519 |
| 29 | Carbon | 2.2 | -0.4 | 5725 | 102 |
| 29 | Deer Lodge | 2.2 | -0.3 | 5191 | 255 |
| 29 | Fergus | 2.2 | -0.1 | 5831 | 20 |
| 32 | Powell | 2.3 | 0.3 | 2913 | -101 |
| 32 | Ravalli | 2.3 | -0.4 | 21131 | 222 |
| 32 | Silver Bow | 2.3 | -0.3 | 17510 | 339 |
| 35 | Golden Valley | 2.4 | -0.5 | 373 | 5 |
| 35 | Musselshell | 2.4 | -0.8 | 2315 | -2 |
| 35 | Roosevelt | 2.4 | -0.4 | 4216 | -15 |
| 35 | Teton | 2.4 | 0 | 2768 | -49 |
| 35 | Cascade | 2.4 | 0 | 38138 | 670 |
| 40 | Blaine | 2.5 | -0.4 | 2186 | -37 |
| 40 | Lake | 2.5 | -0.3 | 13812 | 20 |
| 42 | Park | 2.6 | -0.5 | 9979 | 1076 |
| 42 | Prairie | 2.6 | -0.7 | 489 | -6 |
| 44 | Petroleum | 2.8 | 0.3 | 275 | -1 |
| 44 | Flathead | 2.8 | -0.4 | 49317 | -158 |
| 46 | Rosebud | 2.9 | -0.2 | 3471 | 1 |
| 47 | Broadwater | 3 | -0.1 | 2669 | 50 |
| 47 | Granite | 3 | -1.3 | 1602 | 55 |
| 47 | Phillips | 3 | 0.3 | 1821 | -1 |
| 50 | Garfield | 3.4 | 0.7 | 744 | 0 |
| 50 | Wheatland | 3.4 | 0 | 750 | -9 |
| 52 | Sanders | 3.7 | -0.5 | 5164 | 73 |
| 53 | Big Horn | 3.9 | -1.7 | 4617 | 174 |
| 54 | Lincoln | 4.2 | -0.4 | 8039 | 253 |
| 55 | Glacier | 4.6 | -0.9 | 5495 | 339 |
| 56 | Mineral | 4.7 | -0.1 | 1689 | -82 |
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 2.2%. 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 |
2.6 |
-0.4 |
13556 |
39 |
|
2 |
Fort Peck |
3 |
-0.7 |
3769 |
-24 |
|
3 |
Rocky Boy's |
5.7 |
-1.7 |
1083 |
-1 |
|
4 |
Crow |
5.9 |
-2.5 |
2375 |
85 |
|
5 |
Blackfeet |
6.4 |
-1.2 |
3874 |
224 |
|
5 |
Fort Belknap |
6.4 |
-0.2 |
720 |
-11 |
|
6 |
Northern Cheyenne |
7.2 | -1 | 1239 | 17 |
