Big Sky Times

Montana's payroll numbers reveal it is ranked 45th for non-farm payroll employees in January, 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	January (in thousands)
1	California	17,031.9
2	Texas	12,995.1
3	Florida	9,145.8
4	New York	9,118.5
5	Illinois	5,841.8
6	Pennsylvania	5,757.9
7	Ohio	5,331.3
8	Georgia	4,675.4
9	North Carolina	4,616.1
10	Michigan	4,228
11	New Jersey	4,035.3
12	Virginia	3,940.9
13	Massachusetts	3,522.7
14	Washington	3,392.2
15	Tennessee	3,136.7
16	Indiana	3,106.5
17	Arizona	3,014.4
18	Missouri	2,850.8
19	Wisconsin	2,841.6
20	Minnesota	2,818
21	Colorado	2,777.3
22	Maryland	2,634.4
23	South Carolina	2,148.1
24	Alabama	2,037.1
25	Kentucky	1,906
26	Oregon	1,891.6
27	Louisiana	1,883.2
28	Oklahoma	1,640.1
29	Utah	1,627.5
30	Connecticut	1,609.8
31	Iowa	1,527.5
32	Nevada	1,412
33	Kansas	1,368.5
34	Arkansas	1,293
35	Mississippi	1,145.1
36	Nebraska	999.3
37	Puerto Rico	896.2
38	New Mexico	825.7
39	Idaho	797.5
40	District of Columbia	754
41	West Virginia	681.5
42	New Hampshire	664.2
43	Maine	609
44	Hawaii	592.6
45	Montana	490.1
46	Rhode Island	472.6
47	Delaware	443.6
48	South Dakota	430.7
49	North Dakota	415.8
50	Alaska	298.1
51	Vermont	295.9
52	Wyoming	275
53	Virgin Islands	34.6

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics