Montana's Unemployment Rate Falls to 3.6% in May
Press Release
Montana's unemployment rate declined again, falling to 3.6% in May, down from 4.0% in January and down from 9.1% one year ago. The unemployment rate for the U.S. was 5.8% for the month of May.
"Montanans who were sidelined during the pandemic are returning to the workforce and getting back to work," Gov. Greg Gianforte said. "Our continued recovery depends on continuing these positive trends, so our businesses can meet their growing customer demand."
Montana's total employment, which includes payroll, agricultural, and self-employed workers, grew by 2,221 in May. The labor force also had strong growth over the month, adding 1,908 workers. Payroll jobs declined by 700 in May, with declines in Construction and Leisure and Hospitality accounting for most of the loss.
In early May, Gov. Gianforte announced the State of Montana will launch a return-to-work bonus program, utilizing federal funds authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act. Return-to-work bonuses of $1,200 will be paid to unemployed individuals who rejoin the labor force and accept and maintain steady employment for at least one month. The governor also announced the State of Montana will end its participation in federal pandemic-related unemployment benefit programs and transition to pre-pandemic unemployment insurance (UI) eligibility and benefits by the end of June.
"With the federal government continuing to consider trillions and trillions of dollars in more spending, inflation continues to be cause for concern. Ultimately, inflation reduces the value of the paychecks hardworking Montanans earn, and I urge the federal government to turn off the spigot of out-of-control spending that's driving up inflation and our national debt," Gov. Gianforte said.
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased by 0.6% over the month in May. The 12-month increase from May 2020 was 5.0%, a continuation of the high price growth seen in April. Prices of used cars and trucks rose again in May, with a 7.3% increase. The food index rose 0.4% over the month, the same increase as seen in April. The index for all items less food and energy, referred to as core inflation, increased 0.7% 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 0.6 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 Research and Analysis Bureau at 406-444-4100.
The next Labor Situation Report for the month of May will be released on Friday, July 16.
**** 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 economic data on the current recession.
****** 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 3.2%.
Unemployment Rate
Employment
Rank
County
Current Unemployment Rate
Change over Year
Current Employment
Job Change from Last Year
1
McCone
1.4
-2.1
964
57
2
Daniels
1.5
-2.1
916
55
3
Garfield
2
-1
723
35
4
Judith Basin
2
-4.1
904
18
5
Liberty
2
-0.5
951
58
6
Powder River
2
-1.9
965
104
7
Toole
2
-5.1
2132
186
8
Fallon
2.1
-3.4
1643
174
9
Sweet Grass
2.1
-2.7
1874
153
10
Meagher
2.2
-4.7
891
67
11
Petroleum
2.3
-1.3
259
16
12
Powell
2.3
-4.3
2908
199
13
Beaverhead
2.4
-3
5076
419
14
Chouteau
2.4
-2.5
2408
139
15
Custer
2.6
-3.9
6246
475
16
Valley
2.6
-2.9
4039
327
17
Fergus
2.7
-3.1
5875
480
18
Hill
2.7
-3.7
7387
458
19
Lewis and Clark
2.7
-4.4
36320
3339
20
Teton
2.7
-2.6
2767
189
21
Gallatin
2.7
-6.7
66673
4761
22
Dawson
2.8
-5.5
4465
257
23
Deer Lodge
2.8
-4
5131
508
24
Stillwater
2.8
-4.4
5307
479
25
Treasure
2.8
-1.7
353
38
26
Wibaux
2.8
-3.6
446
37
27
Carter
2.9
-0.1
611
31
28
Jefferson
2.9
-4.3
5734
512
29
Phillips
2.9
-3
1852
113
30
Pondera
2.9
-3.4
2635
162
31
Yellowstone
2.9
-5.2
80388
5380
32
Ravalli
3.1
-4.5
20892
2165
33
Cascade
3.1
-5.5
36483
2550
34
Prairie
3.2
-4.8
461
38
35
Missoula
3.2
-6.8
61907
4943
36
Rosebud
3.3
-4.9
3693
189
37
Silver Bow
3.3
-6.1
16796
1552
38
Blaine
3.4
-1.7
2246
91
39
Broadwater
3.4
-4.5
2622
294
40
Carbon
3.4
-5.6
5348
370
41
Lake
3.4
-4.8
13649
1347
42
Park
3.4
-10.9
8500
981
43
Sheridan
3.4
-3
1732
144
44
Madison
3.5
-5.6
3940
403
45
Golden Valley
3.8
-3.3
351
23
46
Flathead
3.9
-8.5
48030
5228
47
Musselshell
4.1
-3.6
2299
197
48
Sanders
4.1
-5.9
5050
501
49
Roosevelt
4.3
-3.6
4313
263
50
Granite
4.5
-8.2
1487
177
51
Mineral
4.6
-9.2
1729
219
52
Richland
4.6
-4.6
5437
46
53
Wheatland
4.6
-5.5
742
64
54
Lincoln
5.6
-7.5
7767
713
55
Glacier
7.1
-3.2
5013
181
56
Big Horn
8.1
-1.2
4520
201
****** 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 3.2%. 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
3.6
-5.1
13370
1314
2
Fort Peck
5.3
-4.6
3885
247
3
Fort Belknap
7.7
-4.4
739
30
4
Rocky Boy's
8.6
-9.4
1065
66
5
Northern Cheyenne
9.4
-9.1
1280
63
6
Blackfeet
9.7
-4.6
3557
134
7
Crow
12
-1.9
2311
108
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