Big Sky Times

Montana's payroll numbers reveal it is ranked 45th for non-farm payroll employees in February, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Statistics were compiled from unemployment data and civilian labor force reports, both of which heavily relied on household surveys. The data is not seasonally adjusted.

Non-farm payroll numbers are seen as a key indicator for the U.S.'s economic health, representing the total number of paid workers in the country minus farm, government, non-profit, and private household employees.

Employment data is gleaned from an establishment survey that measures non-farm employment, hours and earnings by industry. The data is also based on payroll jobs and such factors as where the establishments are located.

Rank	State	February (in thousands)
1	California	15,945.6
2	Texas	12,346.4
3	New York	8,664.5
4	Florida	8,539.9
5	Illinois	5,605.3
6	Pennsylvania	5,580.9
7	Ohio	5,219.9
8	Georgia	4,444.1
9	North Carolina	4,422.4
10	Michigan	4,056.6
11	Virginia	3,843.2
12	New Jersey	3,806.5
13	Massachusetts	3,344.4
14	Washington	3,265
15	Tennessee	3,023.6
16	Indiana	2,994.7
17	Arizona	2,885.6
18	Wisconsin	2,790.1
19	Missouri	2,759.9
20	Minnesota	2,733.7
21	Colorado	2,649.6
22	Maryland	2,578.5
23	South Carolina	2,091.9
24	Alabama	2,010.4
25	Kentucky	1,833.9
26	Louisiana	1,826.7
27	Oregon	1,803.2
28	Oklahoma	1,598.7
29	Utah	1,568.1
30	Connecticut	1,552.4
31	Iowa	1,486.1
32	Kansas	1,347.7
33	Nevada	1,281.7
34	Arkansas	1,249.3
35	Mississippi	1,113.4
36	Nebraska	986.8
37	Puerto Rico	847.4
38	New Mexico	778.8
39	Idaho	771.5
40	District of Columbia	729.1
41	West Virginia	668.8
42	New Hampshire	644.8
43	Maine	587.2
44	Hawaii	547.8
45	Montana	466.4
46	Rhode Island	452.4
47	Delaware	434.1
48	South Dakota	424.2
49	North Dakota	404.1
50	Alaska	293.9
51	Vermont	287.9
52	Wyoming	266.6
53	Virgin Islands	34.5

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics