How many jobs were added in last month?

Updated May. 22, 2026Refreshed monthly
Montana gained 800 jobs in April 2026, ranking it 35th 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 617 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.

+800

month to month change in number of jobs (April 2026)

35th

rank among states in monthly job growth (April 2026)
Montana’s job gain of 800 April 2026 was a directional change from the previous month. The latest monthly job change was up from the 1,100 loss in March 2026.
During the latest five year period (May 2021 to April 2026), Montana gained jobs in 38 out of 60 months. April 2026 had the 23rd-highest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in July 2022 (+5,500) while job growth was weakest in February 2025 (-2,400).

There were 800 more jobs in April 2026 in Montana than the previous month.

Monthly change in nonfarm employment, May 2021–April 2026, seasonally adjusted

Which Montana sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in April 2026?

The three supersectors with the highest job growth in April 2026 were construction, health care and social assistance, and retail trade. Construction added 700 jobs, more than the entire economy. Health care and social assistance gained 400 jobs, while retail trade added 200 jobs. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.

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The health care and social assistance sector gained 400 jobs during April 2026.

Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Montana (April 2026)

How does Montana's job growth in 2026 compare to previous years?

In 2025, the state has 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 2006.
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 2,200 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 April 2026 ranged from a loss of 100 jobs in the Great Falls, MT area to a gain of 300 jobs in the Bozeman, MT area metro area.

Monthly job growth, by metro area

Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Montana

Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areaChange in jobs

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

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.