Study Shows Montana’s Middle Class is Shrinking

Is Montana's middle class shrinking?

A recent study by the Pew Charitable Trusts shows that the Treasure State's middle class is in fact shrinking as income disparity grows between the upper and lower classes.

NBC Montana said the percentage of state residents with middle-class incomes fell from 51.3 percent in 2000 to 46.6 percent in 2013.

Montana Department of Labor Chief Economist Barbara Wagner said the increase in income inequality in the United States has been well documented and that creating an educated workforce is part of the solution.

Pew Charitable Trusts reported the decline in Montana's middle-class incomes was higher than in Wyoming and Idaho where the percentage of households earning 67 to 200 percent of their state's median income was nearly flat.

Montana's median household income in 2013 was $46,972.