How many jobs were lost in Montana last month?
Refreshed monthly
Montana lost 1,100 jobs in June 2026, ranking it 41st among states in job growth. Those figures comes 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 493 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
-1.1K
month to month change in number of jobs (June 2026)
41st
rank among states in monthly job growth (June 2026)
June 2026's loss of 1,100 jobs was the second consecutive month of negative job growth in Montana. Monthly job growth was up from the 3,200 lost jobs in May 2026.
During the latest five year period (July 2021 to June 2026), Montana gained jobs in 36 out of 60 months. June 2026 had the sixth-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 1,100 fewer jobs in June 2026 in Montana than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, July 2021–June 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Montana sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in June 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in June 2026 were accommodation and food services, health care and social assistance, and arts, entertainment, and recreation. Accommodation and food services added 700 jobs, more than the entire economy. Health care and social assistance gained 600 jobs, while arts, entertainment, and recreation added 200. 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 600 jobs during June 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Montana (June 2026)
How does Montana's job growth in 2026 compare to previous years?
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 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 June 2026 ranged from a loss of 300 jobs in the Helena, MT area to a gain of 300 jobs in the Billings, MT area metro 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. | +300 | |
| 2. | +200 | |
| 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.
