More Montanans working now than ever before

Helena, MT – Governor Greg Gianforte announced on May 17th, that Montana’s era of historic unemployment continued in April as the state’s unemployment rate fell to 3.1 percent and employment levels increased. The national unemployment rate rose to 3.9%.

“Montana’s economy is on the move,” Gov. Gianforte said. “While we face inflationary challenges brought on by President Biden’s historic spending spree, we’ll continue to support the small businesses and industries that create good-paying jobs and to help hardworking Montanans keep more of what they earn.”

Montana’s labor force grew by nearly 1,000 workers in April, with more Montanans working now than ever before.

In the months between November 2021 and October 2023, the state’s unemployment rate remained below 3.0%. Prior to Governor Gianforte taking office, the state’s unemployment rate fell below 3.0% in just three months in the last 50 years – January, February, and March of 2007.

Payroll employment also increased by 500 jobs last month, with gains strongest in the Professional Services sector. Montana has averaged an increase of 1,000 payroll jobs each month for the first four months of 2024.

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.3% over-the-month, slightly slower than April’s increases. The 12-month change in the all-items index was 3.4%. The index for all items minus food and energy, or core inflation, rose 0.3% in March.

According to a U.S Department of Labor inflation report released this week, housing and gasoline costs were main contributors to overall inflation last month – accounting for more than 70% of the total monthly increase. The report also indicates grocery costs are up 1.1% from this time last year.

** 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. 

**** 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 2.7%. 

****** 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 2.7%. Reservation areas overlap with county areas, meaning that unemployed individuals living on a reservation will be included in both the reservation and county totals.