How many jobs were lost in Montana last month?
Refreshed monthly
Montana lost 1,300 jobs in September 2026, ranking it 37th 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 423 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
-1.3K
month to month change in number of jobs (September 2026)
37th
rank among states in monthly job growth (September 2026)
September 2026's loss of 1,300 jobs was the second consecutive month of negative job growth in Montana. Monthly job growth was down from the 400 lost jobs in August 2026.
During the latest five year period (October 2021 to September 2026), Montana gained jobs in 34 out of 60 months. September 2026 had the fifth-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 1,300 fewer jobs in September 2026 in Montana than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, October 2021–September 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Montana sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in September 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in September 2026 were private educational services, construction, and transportation, warehousing, and utilities. Private educational services added 200 jobs, more than the entire economy. Construction gained 200 jobs, while transportation, warehousing, and utilities added 100. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were accommodation and food services, finance and insurance, and health care and social assistance. Accommodation and food services lost 900 jobs in September 2026, while finance and insurance lost 500 jobs and health care and social assistance lost 200 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector lost 200 jobs during September 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Montana (September 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 September 2026 ranged from a loss of 300 jobs in the Bozeman, MT area to a gain of 400 jobs in the Missoula, 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. | +400 | |
| 2. | +300 | |
| 3. | +300 | |
| 4. | -100 | |
| 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.
