The Office of the Governor of the State of Montana

10/20/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/20/2026 10:06

Montana’s Unemployment Rate Falls to 3.1%

Governor's Office

HELENA, Mont. - Governor Greg Gianforte today announced Montana's unemployment rate fell to 3.1 percent in September. Montana's unemployment rate was lower than the national unemployment rate, which rose to 4.2 percent. Montana ranks in the top ten states with the lowest unemployment rates in the nation.

"As our economy continues to show strong growth and our unemployment rate remains low, we celebrate our progress to ensure hardworking Montanans can secure a good-paying job," Gov. Gianforte said. "From historic investments in workforce training to creating clear pathways to careers in key industries, the Montana Department of Labor and Industry is unlocking the full potential of our workforce."

Total employment (which includes payroll, agricultural, and self - employed workers) increased by nearly 400 jobs in September, while the number of unemployed fell by 379 over the month. Payroll jobs declined by 1,300 jobs, most of which was concentrated in the Accommodation and Food Service, and Finance and Insurance sectors.

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.6 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in September. Over the last 12 months, the all-items index increased 3.7 percent before seasonal adjustment. The index for gasoline rose 9.1 percent in September, accounting for over half of the monthly all-items increase. Core inflation, or the index for all items less food and energy, rose 2.6 percent over the last twelve months.

"Montana's unemployment rate edged lower this month, but helping employers find the right skills remains a priority," said Sarah Swanson, Commissioner of Labor and Industry. "That means working directly with businesses to understand their needs and helping Montanans build on the skills they already have to move into better-paying jobs."

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** Unemployment figures are seasonally-adjusted. Seasonally-adjusted numbers remove the effects of events that follow a 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 October 2026, will be released on Friday, November 20th.

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

Visit our website at 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 2.5%.

Unemployment Rate

Employment

Rank

County

Current Unemployment Rate

Change over Year

Current Employment

Job Change from Last Year

1

Powder River

1.4

-0.5

997

86

1

Treasure

1.4

-1.5

582

217

3

Carter

1.5

-0.6

702

38

4

Garfield

1.7

-0.7

632

19

4

Judith Basin

1.7

-1.3

965

43

6

Beaverhead

1.9

-0.8

4,632

63

6

Park

1.9

-0.5

11,071

195

6

Sheridan

1.9

-0.9

1,643

-50

6

Sweet Grass

1.9

-1.1

1,781

58

6

Toole

1.9

-0.7

2,161

27

11

Fallon

2

-0.4

1,499

97

11

Richland

2

-0.5

5,562

24

11

Teton

2

-0.7

2,955

104

11

Wibaux

2

-1.4

402

8

11

Gallatin

2

-0.4

76,625

-820

16

Custer

2.1

-0.5

6,254

14

16

Daniels

2.1

-0.4

701

5

16

Fergus

2.1

-0.6

5,891

176

16

Liberty

2.1

-0.3

882

14

16

Phillips

2.1

-0.9

2,064

98

16

Prairie

2.1

0.3

549

-143

16

Valley

2.1

-0.9

3,436

-26

23

Golden Valley

2.2

-1

450

60

23

McCone

2.2

-0.7

870

35

23

Meagher

2.2

-0.5

1,009

7

26

Carbon

2.3

-0.7

5,557

33

26

Dawson

2.3

-0.6

4,082

-72

26

Jefferson

2.3

-0.6

6,115

21

26

Missoula

2.3

-0.6

69,841

-9

26

Stillwater

2.3

-0.8

4,552

20

31

Blaine

2.4

-0.7

2,573

10

31

Broadwater

2.4

-0.3

3,989

16

31

Lewis and Clark

2.4

-0.6

36,412

22

31

Flathead

2.4

-0.6

59,475

-70

35

Chouteau

2.5

-0.2

2,692

63

35

Yellowstone

2.5

-0.6

85,654

-411

37

Hill

2.6

-0.6

6,931

127

37

Petroleum

2.6

-1.2

260

33

37

Cascade

2.6

-0.6

37,537

-262

40

Powell

2.7

-0.6

2,619

32

41

Lake

2.8

-0.9

14,300

173

41

Pondera

2.8

-0.7

2,388

47

41

Ravalli

2.8

-0.7

20,224

-54

44

Wheatland

2.9

-1.3

726

46

44

Silver Bow

2.9

-0.6

16,695

-209

46

Deer Lodge

3.1

-0.4

4,240

4

46

Mineral

3.1

-0.7

2,195

3

46

Rosebud

3.1

-0.4

3,325

-54

49

Roosevelt

3.3

-0.9

3,544

12

50

Granite

3.5

-0.6

1,321

-15

51

Musselshell

3.6

-0.7

1,827

-21

52

Glacier

3.7

-0.5

5,866

-128

53

Sanders

3.8

-1.1

4,754

5

54

Madison

4.2

-0.3

3,007

-181

55

Lincoln

4.3

-0.5

8,016

-106

56

Big Horn

4.5

-1.1

4,187

-36

****** 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 2.5%. 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

3.4

-1.1

13,724

153

2

Fort Peck

4.6

-1.3

2,983

6

3

Blackfeet

5

-0.7

4,286

-83

4

Northern Cheyenne

6.7

-1.2

1,272

-17

5

Rocky Boy's

7.2

-1.7

934

18

6

Crow

7.4

-1.8

2,006

-16

7

Fort Belknap

9.8

-2.9

819

5

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The Office of the Governor of the State of Montana published this content on October 20, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 20, 2026 at 16:06 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]