The local economy of Montana and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
3.2%
-0.2 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Carter County 1.4%, highest Big Horn County 6.2%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,229
+3.5%vs a year ago
506,648 jobs at 63,172 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
5,457
+7.8%this year vs last year
Most in Gallatin County 1,489, Yellowstone County 999.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+5,264
+5.9 per 1,000residents
35,634 moved in and 30,370 moved out. Most newcomers came from California.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Montana gas price
$4.51
+$1.41vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Prairie County $4.07, highest Petroleum County $4.99. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Montana, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
43K
+1.3%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
409K
+2.6%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (18.3%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$21.7B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$53,068
Highest sector: Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction $112,730.
Per employee per year
Share of Montana's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 39,569 | $22,627 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 23,817 | $73,825 |
| Traveler Accommodation | 11,659 | $31,740 |
| Grocery Stores | 10,542 | $30,929 |
| Offices of Physicians | 10,105 | $117,144 |
| Other Amusement and Recreation Industries | 8,757 | $28,699 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 8,604 | $68,548 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 8,318 | $33,638 |
| Depository Credit Intermediation | 8,017 | $70,709 |
| Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 6,582 | $37,513 |
| Building Material and Supplies Dealers | 6,522 | $43,403 |
| Gasoline Stations | 6,321 | $28,972 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Montana, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Montana is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Montana, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Montana was 3.2% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 3.4% a year earlier. 556,375 people were employed out of a labor force of 574,642. Among its counties, Carter County had the lowest rate (1.4%) and Big Horn County the highest (6.2%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Montana was $1,229 in Q1 2026, up 3.5% from a year earlier, across 506,648 jobs at 63,172 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 634 new homes in Montana in August 2026 (275 single-family and 328 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 3,752, up 7.8% from the same months last year, and 5,457 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Gallatin County (1,489), Yellowstone County (999), Flathead County (858) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 35,634 people moved to Montana and 30,370 moved away, a net gain of 5,264 (+5.9 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from California, Washington, Colorado, and most people who left went to Washington, California, Arizona.
Regular gasoline in Montana averaged $4.51 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.41 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.12. Among its counties, Prairie County had the lowest regular price ($4.07) and Petroleum County the highest ($4.99).
Health Care and Social Assistance (74,903 employees), Retail Trade (62,888 employees), Accommodation and Food Services (58,010 employees) were the largest sectors in Montana in 2023. In all, 42,566 business locations employed 409,312 people at an average pay of $53,068 a year.