Montana Unemployment Rate Lower Than Any Time Since September 2007
New numbers show that Montana’s unemployment rate dropped by .2 percent in April, bringing the statewide rate down to just four percent.
"It's a trend that we have been seeing over the last few months as the unemployment rate falls," said Montana Department of Labor and Industry Economist Amy Watson. "We have seen more employers hiring people and people entering the labor force. A lot of these new jobs are coming through the health care industry, that industry saw a growth of about 300 jobs in the last month [April]."
With the new growth, Montana now has a lower unemployment rate than it has had for over seven years.
"We are entering into a really low unemployment rate environment," Watson said. "as a matter of fact, Montana's unemployment rate hasn't been this low since September of 2007. For workers, that's a good thing because there are more people being hired and there is upward pressure on wages as employers raise wages to try to attract more workers."
Watson says the state is now concerned that there soon may not be enough workers to fill all of the state’s employment needs.
Below is the county by county unemployment rate. These numbers will have little correlation with the statewide numbers because they are not seasonally adjusted.
Rank | County | Current Unemployment Rate | Change over Year | Current Employment | Job Change from Last Year |
1 | Daniels County | 2.0 | -0.7 | 915 | -2 |
1 | Sheridan County | 2.0 | -0.5 | 2,080 | 6 |
3 | Fallon County | 2.1 | 0.0 | 2,122 | 106 |
4 | McCone County | 2.2 | 0.0 | 1,081 | 35 |
5 | Sweet Grass County | 2.4 | -1.4 | 1,724 | 28 |
6 | Liberty County | 2.5 | -0.3 | 962 | 38 |
6 | Wibaux County | 2.5 | -0.8 | 556 | 28 |
8 | Chouteau County | 2.6 | -0.8 | 2,525 | 34 |
9 | Powder River County | 2.7 | -0.8 | 1,043 | 50 |
9 | Richland County | 2.7 | -0.2 | 7,370 | 385 |
11 | Toole County | 2.8 | 0.0 | 2,298 | 8 |
12 | Dawson County | 2.9 | 0.3 | 4,907 | 142 |
12 | Gallatin County | 2.9 | -0.6 | 56,134 | 2,333 |
12 | Valley County | 2.9 | -0.3 | 4,326 | 119 |
12 | Yellowstone County | 2.9 | -0.7 | 79,986 | 2,564 |
16 | Custer County | 3.0 | -0.1 | 6,424 | -8 |
16 | Lewis and Clark County | 3.0 | -0.7 | 34,711 | 454 |
18 | Garfield County | 3.1 | 0.8 | 722 | 11 |
18 | Stillwater County | 3.1 | -0.3 | 4,952 | 34 |
20 | Madison County | 3.2 | -1.4 | 4,349 | -13 |
21 | Jefferson County | 3.3 | -1.3 | 5,513 | 86 |
21 | Judith Basin County | 3.3 | -1.5 | 924 | 19 |
23 | Beaverhead County | 3.4 | -0.4 | 4,688 | 17 |
24 | Carbon County | 3.5 | -0.4 | 5,397 | 178 |
24 | Carter County | 3.5 | -0.8 | 626 | 10 |
26 | Cascade County | 3.6 | -0.6 | 36,937 | -416 |
26 | Deer Lodge County | 3.6 | -0.6 | 5,158 | 58 |
26 | Missoula County | 3.6 | -0.8 | 59,769 | 1,656 |
29 | Teton County | 3.7 | -0.3 | 2,827 | 89 |
30 | Silver Bow County | 3.8 | -1.1 | 16,384 | -6 |
31 | Hill County | 3.9 | -2.0 | 7,510 | -6 |
32 | Fergus County | 4.0 | -0.3 | 5,541 | -19 |
32 | Musselshell County | 4.0 | -0.3 | 2,379 | 89 |
32 | Petroleum County | 4.0 | 0.8 | 291 | 16 |
35 | Golden Valley County | 4.2 | -0.6 | 391 | 15 |
35 | Pondera County | 4.2 | -0.5 | 2,764 | 48 |
37 | Meagher County | 4.3 | -0.3 | 846 | -4 |
38 | Rosebud County | 4.4 | -0.8 | 4,035 | -42 |
38 | Wheatland County | 4.4 | -1.0 | 745 | 14 |
40 | Lake County | 4.6 | -1.2 | 12,066 | 17 |
40 | Prairie County | 4.6 | -0.5 | 493 | 14 |
42 | Powell County | 4.8 | -1.1 | 2,802 | 38 |
43 | Broadwater County | 4.9 | -0.6 | 2,410 | 41 |
43 | Ravalli County | 4.9 | -1.1 | 18,268 | 294 |
43 | Roosevelt County | 4.9 | -0.3 | 4,627 | 27 |
46 | Blaine County | 5.0 | -1.0 | 2,300 | -53 |
46 | Treasure County | 5.0 | 0.8 | 340 | 2 |
48 | Park County | 5.2 | -1.3 | 7,534 | 183 |
48 | Phillips County | 5.2 | -0.8 | 1,872 | 31 |
50 | Flathead County | 5.5 | -1.5 | 40,983 | 477 |
51 | Granite County | 6.0 | -2.6 | 1,493 | 110 |
52 | Big Horn County | 6.4 | -4.3 | 5,129 | 129 |
53 | Mineral County | 7.6 | -1.1 | 1,599 | 5 |
53 | Sanders County | 7.6 | -2.1 | 4,298 | 86 |
55 | Glacier County | 8.9 | -1.3 | 4,946 | -291 |
56 | Lincoln County | 10.3 | -2.5 | 7,118 | 150 |