How many jobs were added in Montana last month?
Refreshed monthly
Montana gained 100 jobs in August 2026, ranking it 34th among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 482 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
+100
month to month change in number of jobs (August 2026)
34th
rank among states in monthly job growth (August 2026)
August 2026's gain of 100 jobs was the second consecutive month of positive job growth in Montana. Monthly job growth was down from the 600 new jobs in July 2026.
During the latest five year period (September 2021 to August 2026), Montana gained jobs in 36 out of 60 months. August 2026 had the 25th-lowest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in July 2022 (+5,500) while job growth was weakest in May 2026 (-3,200).
There were 100 more jobs in August 2026 in Montana than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, September 2021–August 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Montana sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in August 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in August 2026 were construction, health care and social assistance, and retail trade. Construction added 600 jobs, more than the entire economy. Health care and social assistance gained 600 jobs, while retail trade added 300. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were transportation, warehousing, and utilities, wholesale trade, and other services. Transportation, warehousing, and utilities lost 400 jobs in August 2026, while wholesale trade lost 400 jobs and other services lost 200 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector gained 600 jobs during August 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Montana (August 2026)
How has Montana's job growth changed over time?
In 2025, Montana lost an average of 8 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 242, and the lowest since 2020. The 2025 average ranks as fourth-lowest in job growth since 2007.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 1,000 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 942 on average every month in 2022.
In 2025, Montana lost an average of 8 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Job growth among five metro areas primarily in Montana during August 2026 ranged from a loss of 300 jobs in the Bozeman, MT area to a gain of 100 jobs in the Great Falls, MT area.
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Montana
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +100 | |
| 2. | +100 | |
| 3. | +100 | |
| 4. | -200 | |
| 5. | -300 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
