Big Sky Times

Wages grow at 5th fastest rate in the nation in 2022

HELENA, Mont.– Governor Greg Gianforte on June 16 announced Montana’s unemployment rate remained at an all-time low of 2.3% in May, bucking national trends as the country’s unemployment rate rose from 3.4 to 3.7%.

In 2022, average annual wages in Montana grew at the fifth fastest rate in the nation, according to recently released data from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages.

“With our pro-jobs policies and the unparalleled work ethic of Montanans, we continue to outperform states in job creation, wage growth, and low unemployment,” Gov. Gianforte said. “While the Biden administration picks winners and losers in our economy and advances activist, woke policies, we’re making Montana the best state in the country to live, work, start a business, and raise a family.”

According to data compiled by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, total employment in Montana, which includes payroll, agricultural, and self-employed workers, added 1,478 jobs in May.

Montana’s labor force added 1,882 workers, topping 575,000 workers in the labor force for the first time in state history.

May marks the twentieth consecutive month of unemployment below 3.0% in Montana.

Since Gov. Gianforte was elected, more than 40,000 new jobs have been created in Montana.

In May, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), which measures inflation, rose 0.1% over-the-month. Shelter was the largest contributor to the increase, followed by used cars and trucks. The index for all items minus food and energy, also called core inflation, increased by 0.4% for the month, with a 5.3% increase for the year ending in May.

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** Unemployment figures are seasonally-adjusted. Seasonally-adjusted numbers remove the effects of events that follow a more or less regular month-to-month pattern each year. These adjustments make non-seasonal patterns easier to identify. The margin of error for the unemployment rate is plus or minus 0.5 percentage points at the 90 percent confidence level. All questions relating to the calculation of unemployment rates should be directed to the Montana Department of Labor & Industry’s Data and Operations Bureau at 406-444-4100.

The next Labor Market Information report, including data from June 2023, will be released on Friday, July 21st.

 

**** INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET ****

Visit www.lmi.mt.gov for additional information and analysis, including industry employment levels, background on the unemployment rate, and wage rates by occupation. Visit www.lmi.mt.gov/home/job-tracking for Montana unemployment claims and current economic data.

 

****** COUNTY UNEMPLOYMENT RATES ******

The unemployment rate and ranking for each of Montana’s 56 counties is provided below for your convenience.  County unemployment rates and employment levels are not seasonally adjusted and should be compared to the unadjusted statewide unemployment rate of 2.4%.

		Unemployment Rate		Employment
Rank	County	Current Unemployment Rate	Change over Year	Current Employment	Job Change from Last Year
1	Fallon	1.4	-0.2	1675	25
2	McCone	1.5	-0.1	996	44
3	Carter	1.6	-0.4	685	51
4	Sheridan	1.7	0.1	1726	-14
5	Beaverhead	1.8	-0.4	5717	706
5	Daniels	1.8	0.2	879	14
5	Powder River	1.8	-0.3	999	34
5	Sweet Grass	1.8	-0.1	1888	43
5	Toole	1.8	-0.1	2069	18
10	Valley	1.9	-0.2	3979	64
10	Gallatin	1.9	0	78597	2639
12	Lewis and Clark	2	-0.1	38722	852
13	Custer	2.1	0.3	6438	-42
13	Dawson	2.1	-0.1	4483	-37
13	Hill	2.1	-0.1	7618	135
16	Liberty	2.2	0	972	40
16	Meagher	2.2	0.2	969	43
16	Petroleum	2.2	-0.8	269	11
16	Stillwater	2.2	0.2	5305	-147
16	Yellowstone	2.2	0.1	85234	-838
21	Carbon	2.3	-0.2	5686	-17
21	Deer Lodge	2.3	0.3	5467	154
21	Fergus	2.3	0	5861	-17
21	Jefferson	2.3	0	6104	148
21	Judith Basin	2.3	0.3	994	53
21	Pondera	2.3	0.1	2631	84
21	Missoula	2.3	0	67853	2336
28	Garfield	2.4	0	739	3
28	Golden Valley	2.4	-1.3	368	4
28	Park	2.4	0.1	9900	-74
28	Ravalli	2.4	0	22166	837
28	Teton	2.4	0	2766	50
28	Wibaux	2.4	-0.2	457	9
28	Cascade	2.4	0	39129	930
35	Musselshell	2.5	0.2	2334	37
35	Richland	2.5	-0.2	5660	11
35	Treasure	2.5	0.8	354	15
38	Chouteau	2.6	0.4	2508	69
38	Madison	2.6	0	4675	280
38	Powell	2.6	0.2	2873	-61
38	Rosebud	2.6	-0.3	3579	-20
42	Blaine	2.7	-0.1	2243	60
42	Lake	2.7	0.2	14230	242
42	Prairie	2.7	0	508	34
45	Broadwater	2.8	0	2752	70
45	Silver Bow	2.8	0.3	17521	174
47	Flathead	2.9	0.2	52527	1168
48	Roosevelt	3.2	-0.1	4261	36
48	Wheatland	3.2	0.3	766	53
50	Granite	3.3	-0.2	1695	74
51	Mineral	3.5	-0.8	1849	98
52	Big Horn	3.6	-0.3	4436	-146
52	Phillips	3.6	0.6	1786	34
54	Sanders	3.7	0.2	5479	186
55	Lincoln	4.3	-0.2	8567	266
56	Glacier	4.6	0.1	5326	-43

 

****** RESERVATION UNEMPLOYMENT RATES ******

The unemployment rate and ranking for each of Montana’s seven reservations is provided below.  Reservation unemployment rates and employment levels are not seasonally adjusted and should be compared to the unadjusted statewide unemployment rate of 2.4%. Reservation areas overlap with county areas, meaning that unemployed individuals living on a reservation will be included in both the reservation and county totals.

		Unemployment Rate		Employment
Rank	Area	Current Unemployment Rate	Change over Year	Current Employment	Job Change from Last Year
1	Flathead	2.9	0.2	13997	263
2	Fort Peck	4	-0.2	3837	34
3	Crow	5.5	-0.3	2290	-70
4	Blackfeet	6.5	0.2	3765	-21
5	Northern Cheyenne	6.6	-0.6	1245	-20
6	Fort Belknap	6.8	0.2	738	20
7	Rocky Boy's	7.6	0.2	1101	23

Original source can be found here